


The Chosen One

by Ceala (DecemberWine)



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-06
Updated: 2011-02-12
Packaged: 2017-10-15 11:12:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 90,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/160233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecemberWine/pseuds/Ceala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael Novotny is rich, powerful and successful.  He's chosen by a secret organization for a very special assignment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where this came from. It's so far from the QAF storyline it's not funny. I loved this story and spent hours researching for it. I had it all planned and a sequel but the fandom of QAF is really strange. When I wrote for CSI I would get as many as 160 comments on some of my longer stories. I don't mean just 'Great story' or 'This really sucks'. The CSI fans would go into detail even quoting text from the stories. I got not one single comment on the end of this story which I felt was damn good for a non-professional writer. That pretty much took the heart out of me for QAF. I tried one more story but never finished it and never wrote anything again.

Emmet Honeycutt, of the Savannah Honeycutt’s, stretched like a long lean cat in his comfortable bed; his comfortable but strange bed. WTF?? He raised his head and looked around and then realized he was in the second bedroom of the luxurious suite he and his best friend Michael Novotny were using while they were in Washington DC.

Oh that’s right; the hush-hush meeting with the brains from the think tank. Why oh why did I agree to this? I miss Pittsburgh. I miss my own bed, my own place. Well, actually it’s Michael’s place if you want to be completely truthful. Maybe I ought to feel a little strange still living with my best buddy instead of having a place of my own but Good Grief; if I didn’t live there Michael would get lost in that 20 room mansion he bought. He needs me. He really does need me. I keep him grounded and humble and on time for his appoint… HOLY SHIT… we need to get moving if we’re going to get enough coffee to stay awake for the rest of the day.

Emmet threw back the feather light down comforter and headed for the bathroom. He needed to get his morning beauty routine out of the way before he tackled making Michael presentable for the rest of the day.

Emmet quickly cleaned his face and neck and applied the special moisturizing pack. While he waited for it to dry enough to not crumble off in the shower, he took care of brushing, rinsing and flossing. He took a shower making sure he exfoliated every single inch of his smooth silky skin. When he got through he gently removed the mask carefully removing every single speck off his face and neck. He got out and while still damp thoroughly applied baby lotion to his complete body. He’d tried every lotion and potion known to man but discovered that plain old Jergens baby lotion in the winter and oil in the summer kept him smooth and sleek. A careful shave and application of skin toner and cologne completed his morning routine.

He put on the briefs he’d brought into the bathroom with him, donned the thick terry lined velour robe furnished by the hotel and went to wake up his friend.

Michael was curled up in the big king sized bed and buried so deep under his comforter Emmet thought he might have to go in and search for him but a careful prodding of the largest lump produced a grunt and some movement. He grabbed the edge of the covers and pulled them off exposing his naked room-mate to the chilled bedroom.

“Come on Sleeping Beauty. This trip was your idea so get up and let’s see if the brains have finally talked around the subject enough to tell us why it was so vital that we come for a face-to-face with them.”

Michael stretched until his back popped giving Emmet a good look at all his attributes while he did. Emmet appreciated the view but it was one he’d been seeing since he and Michael met as awkward 8 year-olds in Miss Charlotte’s Ballroom dancing class so many years ago. He often thought it was really odd that both of them turned out to be gay. It wasn’t as though they had noticed anything way back then.

**************

Their worlds had changed on a sleepover when they were 14 years old. They’d had one glass of wine with dinner and then Emmet had snuck down into the kitchen and grabbed the half empty bottle and brought it back upstairs with them. They had polished off the rest of the bottle and gone to bed together as they had been doing since they first met. Sometime during the night, they woke up jacking each other off. It was messy and very satisfying at the time. When they woke up there was a noticeable wall between them. Fortunately neither boy was shy about voicing his opinions or emotions.

Michael had apologized and said he hoped Emmet wouldn’t hold his actions against him. Emmet smiled and said he wouldn’t if Michael would promise they would be repeated again at a later date. There was a moment of silence and then both boys broke out laughing at the same time.

“God Em…how long have you known you were...you know…that way.”

“Do you mean gay Mitch?”

“Yeah I mean gay.”

“Since we drew Mr. Williams for track class. The first time I saw him in those tight white shorts I got my first hard-on. I’d wondered about why I wasn’t oooing and ahhing over the girls like all the rest of the guys were and right then I knew exactly why. What about you?”

“Well, oddly enough it was the same time only it wasn’t Mr. Williams. It was Bobby Ferguson. God he had the most gorgeous ass in the world and I used to dream about that ass. I was pretty sure I was gay then because I should have been dreaming about Leticia Johnson’s tits.”

Emmet smiled and said, “Then you must be a Top.”

Michael looked at him with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean Top?”

“Mitch do you know anything about how guys have sex?”

“Well of course I do; I looked it up on-line and in the library.”

“Well then you know that one guy does the giving, the Top, and the other guy does the taking, the Bottom. Now since you were drooling over Bobby’s butt I’m pretty sure it was because you were thinking about shoving something up that pretty thing. While I was concentrating on Mr. Williams sizeable package and wondering what it would feel like sliding inside me. See; I’m a bottom, you’re a top.”

“Jesus, are we stuck in those roles? Is that the way it’s always gonna be?”

“From what I’ve been able to find out no it’s not. Most gay guys prefer one or the other more but are versatile. They can go either way depending on their mood or their partner’s.”

“Good, if I’m gonna be out of step with the rest of the world then I want to experience every single part of the experience. Speaking of which, do you want to try last night’s little experiment again only this time somewhat sober?”

*****************

Emmet smiled remembering those long ago days. As usual, his best friend seemed to be tuned right into his brain because he smiled and stretched again.

“Em. Why didn’t we ever…you know…do it when we were younger?”

Emmet laughed out loud. “Christ Mitch you are such a contradiction. Sometimes you have a potty mouth that can remove paint from furniture and then other times you have to use a euphemism for fucking. I think we were both afraid things would change between us if we did fuck and then when you were sixteen you nailed Bobby Ferguson’s ass and after that, I think you went through most of the rest of the male students. By the time we got out of school I knew I loved you too much to ever risk losing you over a stupid lover’s quarrel and we were both too young to settle down with each other forever so we got over our childish jack-off’s and formed this more adult bond. Why? Are you wishing now we had?”

“Sometimes I do yeah. It just seems odd that we’re both such sexual creatures and we’ve never shared that between us even though you are and always have been the one person I loved more than anyone else in this world.”

“Christ, don’t ever let Mummy Dearest hear you say that. She’ll have me cut into so many pieces I could cover the globe and smile while she’s doing it.”

Emmet got Michael’s clean underwear out of his drawer and threw it down on the bed beside him.

“Come on and get your beauty stuff out of the way while I get breakfast up here.”

He started to leave the room and turned at the door.

“You know I love you more than anyone else in this world too and if someday we can’t find anyone we want to spend our lives with forever, maybe then we’ll fuck and live happily ever after. In the meantime, I’m always available for a quick, or not so quick, hand-job.”

He waved at Michael and went to order breakfast. He could hear Michael laughing all the way into the bathroom.

By the time Michael emerged all fresh and dewy Emmet was working on his second cup of coffee and had just snared a third sausage link. Both men were good looking and vain about their appearance. They had been taking very good care of themselves since they hit 21 and the results were obvious. Neither man looked his age although Michael had just turned 35 and Emmet was right behind him. Michael being carded on his 25th birthday was one of their favorite stories.

They had informed the concierge they would need two copies of the daily newspaper and they both scanned through them at the same time. Both were speed readers which made the task a lot easier than you would think. There were a few articles that caught their attention and they spent some minutes discussing the impact on their personal and business affairs.

While Michael finished his breakfast, Emmet went to lay out his clothes for the day. He knew today was the day the brains would spill the beans so he got out Michael’s favorite power suit. It was a deep rich navy so dark it almost looked black. He picked a pale grey shirt and a charcoal tie with a rich red stripe. Michael would look killer in that.

He went to his own room and looked over his closet. He decided on a charcoal grey for him with a pale yellow shirt and a light grey tie with deep gold stripes. They would both look killer today. He looked at his Rolex, a gift from Michael on his last birthday, and hollered at him to leave the table and start dressing. He looked in the mirror when he was dressed and admired his reflection. He selected a platinum tie bar with a black pearl set in the center; perfect. He realized he’d not picked out one for Michael and hurried into his room. Michael was standing in front of the mirror adjusting his tie. He was gorgeous as usual. Emmet thought for about the millionth time that if Michael had been 6 foot 3 instead of 5 foot 10, he would have ruled the world. He reached into Michael’s jewelry box and picked out a platinum tie bar for him only his was set with a star sapphire that flashed when the lights hit it.

The two men stood there side by side looking at themselves in the mirror. They were both handsome and they had an aura of power about them that came with old money and good breeding. Emmet grinned at Michael’s image.

“Boyfriend, we are fan-fucking-tastic looking and we are going to wow everyone we see.”

Michael grinned back at him and said, “Quite a difference from last night isn’t it?”

They had gone clubbing last night in Georgetown. Of course Emmet knew exactly where the best local gay club could be found. Michael had been a little wary because the press had been dogging him ever since they arrived in DC. But Emmet had done his magic and no one recognized the handsome young gay boy in the black leather pants and sleeveless open black vest. How could they? He’d spiked Michael’s hair and applied electric blue streaks which had been washed out in this morning’s shower. That along with eye make-up and some lip gloss and his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him. Come to think of it, anyone seeing Em in his hot pink suede pants and his tangerine colored net top along with his make-up and curly do would never recognize the cultured gentleman standing there in the grey suit. God he loved their walks on the wild side. Especially when the club had a backroom just like back home and he found himself being fucked through the wall while watching Michael give it to some blonde stud he’d picked up. The blonde had been sure he was going to get lucky. Well he had but Emmet had to bite his own arm to keep from laughing out loud when the stud found himself with his pants around his ankles and his face to the wall. Just because you wear eye make-up and lip gloss doesn’t mean you aren’t an aggressive top and lord knows when Michael was horny, he was aggressive. If he remembered rightly, Mitch had gotten aggressive at least 4 times that he knew of. He looked closely at his partner’s face. There was not a single sign of their night of debauchery showing.

“How many times last night did you visit the back room?”

“Why? Weren’t you keeping an eye on me as usual?”

“Well I know of 4 trips but I was otherwise occupied some of the time.”

“Actually, I went to the back room 5 times but I had one guy on the floor back in a dark corner so I’m not sure if you can count him.”

“Yeah you can count him. Now tell me what the hell you were trying to prove; that a guy 35 years old can still fuck like a teen-ager? And why the hell would you worry about it anyway? From what I’ve seen since you were 16, your little ‘encounters’ are hotter than average.”

“Em have you been watching me fuck since we were 16?”

“Of course I have and you god-damn well know it so why are you sounding so surprised?”

“I’m just surprised to hear you admit it out loud.”

“The choice of the word ‘admit’ implies you think it’s something I should be ashamed of. You watch porn don’t you Mitch?”

“You know I do; god knows we’ve watched enough of it together.”

“Well…watching you fuck or get fucked is like watching a really great porn movie. It just adds to the ambiance.”

Michael turned away from the mirror and put his arms around his much taller friend’s waist.

“Em, kiss me.”

Emmet smiled and took Michael’s adorable face in his hands and dropped a quick kiss on his pouty mouth.

“No, not like that…really kiss me like you mean it.”

Emmet pulled back and looked at Michael carefully. He wasn’t smiling and his expression was very serious. Em put his arms around Michael’s shoulders and drew him closer.

“What’s the matter Baby Boy? What’s got you worried and upset?”

“I don’t know. For some reason I just feel like something’s coming that may change everything and I’m scared. I don’t mind change just so long as you’re right here beside me. I don’t ever want my feelings for you to change. They’ve been part of me for so long I wouldn’t be the same without them and you. You do know, you’re the reason I’m successful and rich don’t you?”

“You mean richer Mitch. You had plenty when you started and while I appreciate the attention, everything you’ve done has come from you and you alone. I’ve just been along for the ride.”

“Never, you’ve never just been along for the ride. You’re my best part and I still need a kiss; a real kiss.”

Emmet pulled his dearest friend close to him and fitted their lips and bodies together the way they had been doing for the last 21 years. He forgot their appointment, the fact that they were in a strange room in a strange city and concentrated on the taste, touch and feel of this man who had been his heart and soul for so long. They both lost themselves in the kiss. Their tongues caressed each other and then took turns exploring their mouths. Finally air became a screaming necessity and they both drew back. Michael smiled at his rock and thanked him. He said he felt much better now.

They took one more quick look in the mirror to make sure their impromptu make-out session hadn’t dislodged a hair or left a mark. They agreed they were smokin’ and they left the suite eager to see what was in store for them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Foundation for Common Sense finally tells Michael what they want from him.

In a small comfortable home in old Georgetown, a Very Important Man was also preparing himself for the coming day. He wondered for the millionth time if he was right to go through with this, then he gave a little shrug to his shoulders. He hadn’t gotten where he was by second guessing himself. All the signs, all the information said this was the time and more importantly, his gut was telling him he’d finally found the one; The Chosen One. This man had surfaced right now at this particular time in history. Who knows how long it would take for someone else to show up with this special set of talents? It was time to go forward.

He glanced at his old mantle clock and realized he was ahead of his own schedule. He walked over to his comfortable old rocker and sat down. He pulled the small table around so it was positioned across his lap and picked up the folder laying on top of the pile of papers. He decided to read through everything one last time.

Michael Charles Novotny was the son of Deborah Grassi (of the Stromboli Grassi’s) and John Charles Novotny. Deborah was old money and a family name that went back for generations in Italian history. John Novotny was a rough and ready new money guy. He’d made a fortune by buying up old abandoned antimony and lead mines in Idaho and just happened to uncover the biggest, deepest vein of silver ever seen. The Sunshine mine was reported to go six miles deep. John’s vein supposedly went several miles deeper than that and was wider. He’d celebrated by a trip to Italy to pick up his latest toy (a handmade racing car which cost him $389,000 and that was back in 1972). He came home with his toy and a beautiful red-head with a mouth like a sound-amplified sewer. They kept every reporter in America employed from the moment they arrived in New York until the moment of his death during the Gran Prix in Monaco in his beautiful handmade racing car.

Everyone assumed Deborah would return to Italy but as usual she didn’t do the expected. She was pregnant and wanted John’s child to be born in the US so he would have dual citizenship. She never married again although she always had a man around and it was amazing that as she aged, the men got younger and younger. Deborah was loud and crude and obnoxious and just as smart as they come. She knew John’s board of directors expected her to sit back and let them do whatever they wanted and she had no intention of letting John’s find become someone else’s pot of gold. She called her brother Victor and had a long talk with him.

When the first board meeting was held after John’s death (and an appropriate period of mourning), the members were shocked and very surprised when in walked John’s widow accompanied by a handsome polished man who proceeded to remove their balls and hand them back to them on a silver platter. It took months of infighting before they realized they could not overcome Deborah’s determination and Victor’s brilliant business talents. When you added to the mixture, the enormous connections the Grassi’s had not just in the US but throughout the business community in Europe, they realized they were fighting a losing battle and grudgingly asked what the new owners wanted. Victor smiled a beautiful, patrician smile and told them they wanted their resignations by 5.00Pm that day.

The resulting roar was probably heard in down-town Coeur d’ Alene but Victor was adamant. He and Deborah had quietly bought up every single out-standing share of stock in existence and they took the company from public back to privately owned which meant no board of directors and no public access to company policies or salary’s. The hot-shots were out on their asses and were lucky to get 50 cents on the dollar for their shares. They didn’t realize what a huge mistake they had made until they tried to find new positions later. It didn’t pay to cross the Grassi’s. It was rumored they were directly descended from the Medici’s and if their attitude towards former enemies was any clue, yeah they were. The best any of them were able to do was a manager’s position at the local Pizza Hut and that was because it belonged to his brother-in-law.

Michael had grown up like royalty. Deborah might have wanted him to have US citizenship but he was never allowed to forget he was a Grassi and his lineage went back to the Crusaders. It was a tribute to his own sweet nature that he did not grow up spoiled rotten and completely disagreeable like so many of his peers.

The VIP smiled as he looked at the picture’s spread out on his little table. He picked up a picture of a man with an infectious grin and a space between his front teeth. Emmet Honeycutt was one of the reasons why Michael stayed grounded and down to earth. Emmett came from wealth and position just like Michael although his blood was not blue; more white from the cotton his ancestor’s grew and possibly black from the slaves they imported and sold over the years. Michael and Emmet went together like bread and butter or cheese and a fine old brandy. They were inseparable and possibly the only relationship Deborah had never been able to break up. Although God knows she had tried. She couldn’t buy Em off, she couldn’t scare him off and she couldn’t threaten him off so she finally realized the only thing she could do was to accept him and treat him like Michael’s sibling. That worked and in time Deborah fell under Emmet’s spell just like everyone else. The old gentleman wondered if she would have been so accepting if she knew about the sexual relationship (odd though it was) between her son and his best friend.

Both boys had done well in school. They would not have done so well in America’s public school system but in private school where the classes were small and students were expected to stretch themselves they had flourished. They had both graduated with honors and went on to Harvard. Deborah hated Michael’s college years because she could not control him the way she had all through his life. Maybe she realized her time was limited because Michael declared his independence the day he got his diploma and there was nothing Deborah could do about it. He had money in his own right from his grandparents and he and Emmet moved into a luxury condo and began to enjoy life as single young bachelors. I might add they were very desirable young bachelors; both rich, both handsome and both as queer as three dollar bills. The young women of Pittsburgh didn’t stand a chance but…the young men of Pittsburgh; now that was a different story.

The old gentleman once again shook his head at the anomaly. Both Michael and Emmet were openly gay. They did nothing to hide their sexual orientation and yet, to meet them in a business setting, there was no way in the world you could tell. They both were always immaculately dressed and groomed and both were completely resistant to any kind of sexual entanglement where their business was concerned. When he was first presented with Michael’s name as a possible option for ‘The Chosen One’, the old man had thought that Emmet was just a hanger-on; someone Michael kept around because he was safe and familiar. It didn’t take long to discover that their partnership was completely equal. Emmet had a better head for business than Michael did while Michael was more the creator, the innovator.

When Michael turned 23 he invented a video game that revolutionized the industry and pretty much put every other game maker out of business. It was such a simple idea but oh so effective. Within six months, Michael’s game, The Ultimate Fantasy, comprised 83% of all video game sales. Emmet handled the patents and business contracts and the game was locked down so tight no one could steal it for a long long time.

By the time he was 27, Michael Novotny was a billionaire in his own right. He then turned his talents toward other interests. He wrote two books that swept the best sellers lists both in the US and abroad. It was almost as though everything he touched turned to platinum. He bought his 20 room mansion, a modest home by billionaire standards, then and he and Emmet took up the joys of home-owning.

The old man looked at the pictures of the interior of the home. These had been taken about a year after they moved in. He paid particular attention to the two bedrooms. He could only arrive at one conclusion from studying the pictures. There might be talk and there might be pictures of them kissing and embracing in clubs but those bedrooms showed two men who did not share a bedroom. There was still a chance they might share a bed occasionally but they each lived in their own bedrooms. It was obvious. He wondered if the rooms were still the same. Emmet had become interested in electronics shortly after they moved in and within two years, the mansion was so secured, even with his connections, the old gentleman had never been able to get a tap, a bug or a hidden camera inside since.

Michael and Emmet both were active in charity work not just giving money or lending their name but actually getting their hands dirty and helping out in person. They had gone to New Orleans when Katrina hit and worked beside the other volunteers for almost two weeks bringing out bodies, digging through rubble, removing dangerous buildings and clearing roads and highways. Their parents were outraged at the idea of their babies being down there in that filth and danger and immediately sent bodyguards to protect their children. Michael and Emmet proceeded to put their body guards to work helping right alongside them.

They organized other volunteers and set up food lines, they brought in mobile units like the Tide trucks where folks could get their clothes washed. They set up temporary camps for the relief workers with showers, washers and driers and most important of all, they brought in every vet they could find who was willing to come down and take care of the rescue dogs and all the abandoned animals who were suffering the aftermath as much if not more than the human population.

Two years later they were still coordinating efforts with Brad Pitt’s group to provide shelter for those folks who were willing to come back and help get the city running again.

That was the first time anyone had visible proof of their work but they had both been working behind the scenes for years raising money for various organizations. With Michael’s ideas and Emmet’s savvy they were a formidable team. The VIP hoped that would continue into the far distant future. He was sure now; Michael was The Chosen One and Emmet would keep him grounded and strong for the work to come.

************

Emmet was finding it harder and harder to keep from squirming. He was really getting tired of this run around. While he and Michael did not have 8 to 5 jobs, they did have enough things needing their attention that this was a real waste of their time. He was just about ready to tell them to fish or cut bait when the door opened. Emmet felt an almost electric charge enter the room and he turned to Michael to check on him. Michael obviously felt the same thing he did and he was reaching for Emmet’s hand under the table. The man who entered the room was old but not decrepit. He had lovely blue eyes which seemed very young in his wrinkled face. All the other men rose and you could tell they were forcing themselves not to bow to him. Emmet felt Michael stir as though he was about to stand and he jerked his hand quickly. He had no idea what was going on but he did know they could not afford to show any fear or worry.

He forced himself to release his muscles until they were relaxed and he was sitting quietly in his chair waiting for an introduction. He looked at Michael out of the corner of his eye and saw that he had as usual read his mind and was doing exactly the same thing. Okay, what the hell was going on here?

The man who had appeared to be leading the discussion pulled his chair out and stepped aside. The old gentleman stepped forward and took the chair as though it was his divine right. He sat and motioned with his head for everyone else to sit also. The former leader moved to a vacant chair further down the table. Again the old man nodded his head towards him.

“Mr. Novotny, Mr. Honeycutt; may I present the Chairman and Founder of the National Foundation for Common Sense.”

Michael smiled and nodded towards the old man. “Your name wouldn’t be Thomas Payne would it?”

Emmet tried hard to hold back the chuckle at his friends ad lib but it was impossible and he let out a strangled little laugh.

The old man grinned delightedly at them both and said, “Well, if it makes you comfortable please both of you can call me Tom but actually my name is Peter, Peter Roca and I would like you to call me by my first name whether it be Tom or Peter.”

Emmet grinned at the old gentleman and said, “Nah, we’ll call you Peter. It seems to fit you better than Tom. You would have to be a Thomas to make that work.”

Peter laughed out loud. “Emmet you are everything your dossier said you were. I am so pleased.”

Michael frowned. “Wait a minute; his dossier? Do you mean to say you’ve investigated us? You do realize you invited us here don’t you? We don’t want or need anything from you.”

“Please Michael, relax. Of course I had you both investigated and you obviously passed with flying colors or else you wouldn’t be sitting here at this table with me. Don’t try to tell me that you didn’t go out of your way to check out our Foundation? I will be somewhat concerned if you say yes. You should never go into any situation without out knowing as much as possible about your opponents.”

“So you consider us to be opponents then?”

“No Emmet, I don’t consider us to be opponents in the sense of our acting against each other. I hope we will become partners; very close partners.”

Michael cleared his throat. “Peter, Emmet and I don’t have any new projects in the works. If we did, we would finance them ourselves without any outside interference or ‘suggestions.’ We are both flattered that you would like your foundation to be affiliated with us but I just don’t see any platform available at the moment. I’m sorry we’ve both wasted our time. Next time perhaps you could just tell us over the phone what’s on your mind?”

Michael and Emmet rose as one and started to push back their chairs to leave. Mr. Roca’s voice stopped them dead in their tracks.

“Mr. Novotny our ‘platform’ will be whatever you wish and our project is to elect you the first openly gay president of the United States of America.”

******************


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter Roca wants to know how Michael built his fortune and Emmet has a premonition of danger.

_Mr. Novotny our ‘platform’ will be whatever you wish and our ‘project’ is to make you the first openly gay president of the United States of America.”  
****************_

There was a collective sigh as though 11 sets of lungs had all released air at the same time. The other members of the foundation were smiling and nodding approval at finally having their objectives out in the open. Michael and Emmet hadn’t breathed since Peter’s bombshell.

At last, Emmet managed to pull himself together and pulled Michael’s hand from under the table to the top of the table where he deliberately and obviously held his hand tightly.

“You’re going to have to add a lot more verbiage to that little surprise before we even think about replying to you.”

Peter smiled at the tall young man and said, “Of course. I know this was not what you were expecting to hear; at least not now.”

Michael finally managed to get enough saliva flowing to snap back at him, “Try NEVER!”

Peter leaned back in his chair and got comfortable.

“Michael, would you share with us how you came up with your idea for your video game, the Ultimate Fantasy?”

“Huh…WHAT? You want to talk about my video game?”

“Yes I really would. I know this seems irrelevant to you right now but we would like to understand how your mind works. How you arrive at some of the decisions you make and this will help us to understand you and it will give you and your partner a chance to discuss something familiar and let the shock of our objective to lessen.”

Michael looked at Emmet who just squeezed his hand and nodded. Michael took a deep breath and reached for the glass of water in front of him. He took a long swallow and then began talking.

“We were at Emmet’s folks for the 4th of July and Emmet’s nephew Hank was trying to talk his dad into buying him a new video game. His dad was reluctant; not because of the money because God knows they’ve got it but because they had bought him a new one 2 weeks earlier. He told Hank that just because he was stumped on a level was no reason to give up and try something else. Hank told him he wasn’t stumped…he’d gone through all the levels twice but it was the same thing over and over again. Even when he changed a few variables or picked a different path out of the maze, basically, the game always ended the same way. It was boring.”

Emmet started to let go of Michael’s hand but Michael was having none of that. He hung on even tighter and glared at Em. Em grinned back at him and nodded his head toward the bowl of fruit in front of Michael. Michael reached for a bunch of grapes and laid them in front of Em where he could reach them with his left hand. They both smiled at each other and Michael went back to his story.

“I asked him which game he had. He said Doom, Super Street Fighter, Splinter Cell and a lot more. I asked him if he got bored with all of them and he said some were harder than others but when you got right down to it, all you could do was shoot soldiers if it was a war game or aliens if it was a space game and sometimes he wanted to do something else at the same time. Eventually his dad agreed to get him something to keep him occupied and I forgot about our talk until later that week. I was playing with one of his games and I realized he was right. After I went through the levels, I just started over and did the same thing again. I could change some things but not the basic premise of the game. That made me start thinking about a way to make it variable. I talked to Emmet and he came up with the idea of backdrops like a stage show. They change the setting for their scenes with painted backdrops. We had the advantage of computer graphics. We could make the backdrops as sophisticated as we wanted. We decided to charge $79.95 and provide the basic game with 3 different backdrops to be selected by the buyer. Em and I did the programming together and we created one prototype which we took to his nephew and had him try. He was thrilled. When he got through he looked up at us and said, “Wow, I wish I could really be in this game.” That plus something I’d seen on CSI: New York gave me the idea for doing a three dimensional body scan and using it for the buyer’s avatar. “

Michael stopped and took a drink of water. He looked at Em and in that uncanny way they had, Em took up the story right where Michael left off.

“We decided to include the body scan in the original purchase price but market additional backdrops and body scans for $29.95 each. It turned out to be a gold mine. The original avatar could not be touched but the owner could make a clone and alter it anyway they wanted. When we got the idea to market to girls…”

“You mean when you got the idea to market to girls” Michael interrupted with a big grin on his face and a glance of fondness at his long time partner.

“When WE got the idea to market to girls the thing literally flew off the shelves. We added a cosmetic's business, a hair salon, a dress designer and a home decorator backdrop and we could not make the things fast enough. Then we found out that boys, gay boys, were buying the backdrops designed for girls so we added some specialty lines just for them only we called them ‘costume designs’ so they wouldn’t be outted until they were ready to do it themselves. We also added a specialty men’s designer because let’s face it, not all gay boys want to be seen as feminine; a lot of them are as masculine as you are. They just have a better fashion sense.”

Mr. Roca laughed out loud. “Well I have to say, you two have a fashion sense that puts pretty much everyone else in the dust. You are both beautifully dressed and groomed at all times when in public. I rather imagine you are somewhat less formal when relaxing with friends and family.”

Mr. Roca slid some photos across the table to Michael and Emmet. They were color shots of the two of them from the club they’d gone to the previous night. They picked them up and carefully examined each shot. Finally Michael looked up at Mr. Roca.

“If your photographer is interested in changing employers let me know; the guy is talented. These are really great shots. Em I especially like this one of you. What do you think?”

Em looked at the photo in question. “Yeah that’s not bad but this one of you sliding your hand in that blond guy’s pants is really killer. You’re right! This guy is wasting his time and talent taking blackmail shots. He could be a professional photographer and make some clean money.”

Michael gathered the photos up and shoved them in his inside jacket pocket. “If you’re trying to humiliate or embarrass us don’t waste your time. Better folks than you have tried it and if these are for blackmail…you haven’t really done your research. We don’t hide who or what we are. So publish away. We’ll have something to say about each and every photo and next time we go clubbing…we’ll invite the press along with us so they can get some really candid shots. Sorry you all wasted our time but at least we got to go to the Smithsonian while we were here.”

Michael and Emmet both rose and pushed back their chairs.

“Michael, Emmet please sit back down. I assure you these photos were not taken for blackmail purposes; nor were they taken to embarrass you. We needed to see how you would react when something like this happens during an appearance. You are both very comfortable in your sexual orientation and that’s what we had to see; we had to know that you would not fold or appear to be ashamed of your selves. If you are going to be our first gay President you have to have twice the balls of any hetero man who’s ever run in the past. It’s pretty obvious to all of us that Emmet will be with you all the way in this endeavor and probably part of your cabinet when you are elected. He has to be just as ballsy as you are because believe me, everyone is going to be taking pot shots at you and if they can’t get to you, they will attack Emmet and anyone else close to you.

This is going to be no walk in the park. Every single nasty political trick is going to be pulled on you and anyone who supports you. It will be all out war between the straights and the gays and even your own people will turn on you. You are going to find that some of your most ardent opponents will be members from the gay population; some open and some still firmly in the closet.”

Emmet interrupted Mr. Roca, “What about you boys…are you all closet queens? Like to play dress up with wifey’s clothes and seduce the gardener or pool boy when no one’s around? Maybe a little slap and tickle when you can get away with it? Of course, never in the open. God forbid such upright men should ever be suspected of being fudge-packers.”

Emmet could be a little nasty when he wanted to be and he’d held it in long enough. He was sick of this room and these men. He could see nothing but trouble in this little scheme of theirs and he wanted no part of it nor did he want Michael involved with them in any way.

Peter Roca looked at Emmet and quietly replied, “Mr. Honeycutt, I can only answer for myself; not these other gentlemen and yes, I have loved a man with all my heart. I would have followed him anywhere done anything he asked of me and yet in the end I was not strong enough to stand by his side forever. I will never forgive myself even though he has. We never had a physical relationship but I assure you it was love as strong as what lies between you and Michael.”

Emmet swallowed a lump big as Mississippi in his throat. He was pretty sure he’d just heard complete honesty and the sorrow in Mr. Roca’s voice was real and still as immediate as the day he’d lost his lover. He looked at Michael and knew Michael felt the same way.

Michael turned back to Mr. Roca and the other gentlemen and said, “We will think about this. How soon do you need our answer?”

The gentleman sitting next to Mr. Roca spoke for the first time since the elderly man entered the room.

“We can give you 2 months to make your decision. After that, we will have to make some new plans.”

Emmet looked at him with a frown. “Wait a minute. Don’t you have a contingency plan; you know, like a list of men to choose from?”

The man shook his head slowly. “No, Mr. Novotny is our number one choice. If he does not accept we will have to wait for another suitable candidate. At the moment, there is no one else with his credentials that we believe stands a chance of running let alone winning.”

Emmet started to answer him but Michael interrupted. “Let it go Em, let it go. Gentlemen we will respond within 2 months. Thank you for your time.”

He stepped away from the table and took Emmet by the arm and turned him towards the door. He expected someone to stop them or say something but they left the room and the building without another word being spoken. As they stepped into the elevator outside the conference room, Emmet pulled out his cell and called their driver and told him to pick them up at the East entrance. He and Michael looked at each other but neither said a word. They went straight back to their hotel still not speaking. When they were safely inside their hotel suite, Michael started to say something to Emmet who held up his hand and went into his room. He opened a false bottom in his hard sided suitcase and pulled out an interesting looking gadget. He came back into the main room of the luxurious suite and pushed a button on the gadget. He swept the entire room, stopping twice to extract two small listening devices; one from the floral arrangement on top of the TV and one from the underside of the console table which stood between the entrances to their bedrooms. Then he swept Michael’s room, his own and both bathrooms. He found five more listening devices and removed them. He gave the entire suite one more sweep then with a satisfied sigh, he turned off the sweeping device.

“Okay, now it’s safe to talk. That’s why they knew exactly where to go to get the photos of us last night.”

Michael went over and picked up one of the little bugs. He held it in his hand and examined it closely.

“It’s more sophisticated than ours. Can we find out who makes it? I don’t like the idea of anyone having better toys than we do.”

“I’ll see what I can find out. I know for sure it’s not mass produced because I’ve never seen anything like these before and I’m up on all the latest security toy’s. I’m pretty sure it’s not foreign made so that leaves either the government or a private manufacturer. I’ll get on it as soon as we get home. We are going home aren’t we?”

“God yes, Em. We’re going home. I need you and some peace and quiet and familiar surroundings.”

Emmet walked over to his friend and put his arms around him. They just held each other for a few minutes and then Emmet pulled back and looked down into Michael’s troubled eyes. “You don’t need me because you always have me. I’m right here and I will be right here until you tell me to go away.”

Michael pulled Em’s head down to his and kissed him passionately. “That day will never come. I’ll never tell you to go away; never ever.”

“Oh baby boy, I hope you do some day because that will mean you’ve finally found the love of your life and he will come first with you.”

“Em you’re the love of my life. I’m not looking for anyone to replace you. I know I’ve had some flings but so have you and we’ve always ended up back together again. I don’t think there is anyone on this earth who could ever be more to us that we are to each other.”

Michael put his arms around his friend and held him close burying his head in his shoulder. He could not see the tears in Emmet’s eyes nor could he hear the silent thoughts in Emmet’s head.

Emmet was thinking that Michael would soon be meeting someone who would take him away from him forever. He had been having these thoughts for the last few months. Emmet didn’t believe he was psychic in the least little bit and yet he did have these thoughts, ideas that often came true. He’d learned to pay close attention to his random wanderings because so many of them concerned Michael and their close group of friends. He loved Michael. He might well be the love of his life right now but he was beginning to believe that he and Michael would never be long-time lovers. He kept seeing someone else; someone who would love Michael with an intensity and passion that he’d thought only he had. This new man would be the love of Michael’s life and Emmet knew that as much as this mystery man loved Michael, Michael would love him even more. He was both happy and sad at the same time. He decided to enjoy what time he had left so he put the idea’s out of his mind and asked Michael if he wanted dinner and a quiet evening together. Michael raised his head and gave Emmet one of those amazingly sweet smiles of his and said he couldn’t think of anything better than food and a quiet evening in his arms.

They had dinner, took a long relaxing bath in the huge Jacuzzi in their suite and headed for Michael’s bed where they made out like teen-agers. After coming all over each other they had a quick shower to clean up and finished out the night in Emmet’s bed. Neither one of them said a word about the conversation they’d had at the Foundation for Common Sense.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet the Brian of this universe and his life is a lot different.

Brian Kinney was busy doing the one part of his job he absolutely hated. He was grading papers for his Graduate Course in Literature. Now Brian didn’t hate literature; oh no, he fuckin’ loved it. It was the way his students, who were supposed to be the best of the best, were able to completely miss the nuances and shades of meaning in most of the stuff they read. He thought about the conversation he’d had with his wife Lindsay. She thought he was getting burned out and needed to take a sabbatical and either write something of his own or attempt something else for a while.

He picked up the paper that had currently raised his blood pressure. Jennifer Riley had written that the basic motive behind Captain Ahab’s relentless battle with the great white whale Moby Dick was to kill the biggest whale in existence and make a fortune off its carcass. Brian laid his head down on his desk and resisted the urge to just pound his head into said desk. What he really wanted to do was pound Jennifer’s head with a copy of Melville’s masterpiece. God, he really was losing it. Maybe it was time to take Lindsay’s advice.

He picked up a letter he’d been carrying around for the last three days. It was from something called the Foundation for Common Sense. It was written on very expensive paper and said the board members would like to discuss something they were hoping would be interesting to him. They were willing to pay for his time away from the University and to furnish a first class round trip ticket and equally first class accommodations at the hotel of his choice. They wanted two or three days of his time to discuss their project. He laid the letter back down and picked up another paper. He read two or three paragraphs, groaned out loud and grabbed the letter. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number listed. Thirty minutes later, he had agreed that he would talk to his dean about a few days off and would call them when he had some fixed dates.

As he hung up the phone he realized he probably should have discussed it with Lindsay first but hell, she was the one who kept urging him to change his surroundings if he was that unhappy. He called Sheila Rogers, the dean’s secretary and asked if Dean Belmont was available. When told he was, he asked Sheila to tell him he needed about 10 minutes of his time on an urgent personal matter. He knew Sheila had the hots for him and she would move heaven and earth to see that he got what he wanted. He made a quick note in his PDA to send her flowers. He had no intention of ever succumbing to her advances but it never hurt to keep her under his spell. He neatly piled the rest of the papers, grabbed his coat and headed over to the main business office.

Sitting in the big chair across from Jonathan Belmont, Brian thought for the millionth time that Belmont had to have a Napoleon complex. He was only five foot seven and yet he was sitting almost a head taller than Brian. Brian knew it was because his desk was built on a raised platform. It wasn’t noticeable from the front or the sides because the skirts of the desk went all the way to the floor. Brian knew because Sheila had taken him in to show him the desk one day when Belmont was out of the office. He also knew Belmont was completely intimidated by him partly because of his height, Brian was six foot three, but also because of his reputation and his tremendous success in the commercial and academic worlds. He was pretty sure he would get anything he asked for. After all, Belmont and the University needed him a lot more than he needed them. He had a double doctorate in Literature and History. He was not only published in all the academic journals but he also had written several bestselling novels; two of them had already been made into movies and the third was under negotiation.

When Brian had accepted a professorship at the University, their applications had increased dramatically; especially among history and writing majors. His lectures were standing room only even after being moved to the largest auditorium on the campus and his classes had waiting lists 2 pages long. That alone was quite a feat since Brian was a hard grading, no nonsense teacher. His classes were fascinating but no picnic.

As Brian had suspected, Belmont huffed a little and tried to get him to put off his trip until the end of the term but in the end, he gave him everything he wanted. Brian assumed a grateful expression and sincerely thanked him for his generosity. He gave Sheila a little smirk as he left the office. He knew damn well, she had been listening to every single word on her intercom.

He called his TA Mark Williams and gave him the good/bad news that he was not only going to be teaching his classes for the rest of this week and next week but he was also going to have to complete grading the rest of the student papers.

“Oh Christ Brian, don’t tell me; it’s Moby Dick isn’t it? God Damn you! I knew you would figure out some way to stick me with that assignment. You know I hate that damn whale more than Ahab did.”

Brian was still laughing out loud when he hung up on his exasperated assistant.

He dialed the number back and told the cultured voice on the other end of the line he could make himself available as soon as he received confirmation on the air-line tickets and the hotel confirmation.

“That is excellent news Professor Kinney. What hotel do you want to stay at while you are here?”

Brian told him he wasn’t that familiar with Washington DC and he would leave the selection up to them. He just stipulated that the hotel be quiet and clean and the bed comfortable. The cultured voice assured him that everything would be to his satisfaction. He told him he would send him the confirmation number via E-mail and he could print his own tickets and boarding passes. There would be a limo waiting for him at the airport and he would be taken directly to his hotel to get settled before their discussions began. Brian went home to face the music with Lindsay.

*************************

Brian sat back in the corporate jet that had been waiting for him at the airport. He’d assumed he would be flying on a commercial flight but when he opened the e-mail, he was surprised to read that the board members felt he would be much more comfortable on their own plane. He was to tell them when he wanted to leave and they would see to it that the jet was there and waiting for him. He did and it was. He was sort of surprised that Lindsay hadn’t been more upset over his making all these plans without consulting her but when he pointed out that she was the one who’d been pushing him to explore other options, she paused for a moment and then smiled at him and agreed that yes she was and it was nice to know he actually listened to her.

Brian walked over and kissed his beautiful blonde wife and told her he always listened to her and he valued her opinions. He went to find his son Gus and spend some quality time with him. Over dinner that night they decided he should fly out the next afternoon. The sooner he got to Washington, the sooner they would know what all the mystery was about. He had called the number given him in the last e-mail and told them he would like to leave at 1:00pm the next afternoon. He was assured that the plane, limo and hotel would all be ready and waiting for him. The plane certainly had been and as Brian leaned back and sipped on some really excellent brandy, he had no complaints about his treatment at all. The lovely Eurasian attendant approached his seat and asked him if he would like a meal or some snacks to go with his brandy. He thanked her and said no, he’d had lunch with his family before he left. She told him to press the button on his chair arm if there was anything at all she could do for him and quietly left him alone with his thoughts. Much to Brian’s surprise, he napped and didn’t have a thought at all, confused or otherwise.

When he got to Washington, a small luxurious limo was waiting for him and took him to his hotel which turned out to be the Ritz Carleton in Georgetown. Brian may not have been familiar with Washington DC but he was very familiar with luxury hotels and he knew these rooms went for almost $500.00 a day.

When he checked in, he gave his name and immediately was treated like royalty. The manager told him everything was taken care of including champagne, fruit and flowers in his room. Room service was available 24 hours a day and everything he could possible want or need was at his fingertips. Brian smiled at the man’s eagerness to impress and told him he was sure he would enjoy his stay. He headed for his room and got comfortable. He was sitting on his terrace overlooking beautiful old Georgetown and enjoying the best steak he’d had in a long time when his phone rang. It was the same cultured voice he’d heard before.

This time the voice introduced itself as Peter Roca, Chairman of the Foundation Board. He told Brian how pleased he was that he had made time to talk with them and asked him if 10:00 the next morning would be agreeable with him for their first meeting. Brian said it would and hung up. He returned to his steak and found himself feeling an eagerness he’d been missing for a long time. He could hardly wait for tomorrow.

Brian had done his research; such as it was. He had fished the internet for hours looking for anything he could find on the Foundation for Common Sense. Other than the articles of incorporation and the papers filed setting the Foundation up as a non-profit organization, there had been remarkably little; just a few mentions here and there. He’d e-mailed his huge list of resources and had gleaned a few more little nuggets of information. As near as he could figure, the Foundation was created to evaluate current events and extrapolate future developments. If his bits and pieces were correct, the Foundation had correctly predicted major trends for over 68 years. They had forecast the election of a black president before Obama had even thought of running for the office. To say he was intrigued was putting it mildly.

********************

In a small comfortable home in old Georgetown, a Very Important Man was also preparing himself for the coming day.

Oh yes, we’ve been here before and yes it is the same VIM. As you can see, the plot thickens!

The desk was no longer covered with the dossiers of Michael Novotny and Emmet Honeycutt. All those papers were pinned neatly and in order on one wall of the comfortable room. On the table, before the man, lay a complete write-up on Brian Kinney. Like Michael’s and Emmet’s it was fascinating reading. They were quite similar in many aspects. All three of them were thirty-five. All three men were brilliant although Brian had them beat as far as formal schooling with his two doctorates. All three men were very successful and oddly enough both Brian and Michael were bestselling authors. Brian had set the literary world on its ear when he published his first novel. Peter Roca picked up the clipping from the New York Times.

‘”Any reasonably competent author can write a ‘Who Dun Nit’ but Professor Kinney has written something much more unusual…a ‘What If’. What if Anne Boleyn had presented Henry the Eighth with a live, healthy heir to the throne? What would have changed, if anything? Would the world be different? According to Professor Kinney it sure as hell would. The book is so fascinating that this jaded reviewer could not put it down. I read it straight through with only nominal stops for bathroom, food and drink and when I was through, I was sorry. I wanted more.”’

Peter sighed as he placed the clipping back in the folder and turned to the next page. Again, the similarities were remarkable. Both Michael’s book, ‘Pittsburgh Knights’ and Brian’s book ‘Henry the Ninth’ were gigantic best sellers. Both books were made into major motion pictures and both pictures garnered awards by the dozens. They both went on to receive Best Picture Oscar’s and Best Actor/Best Actress awards. Both men won an Oscar for a screenplay based on another medium.

That however, was the end of the similarities. From that point on there was a major divergence. Whereas Michael and Emmet were openly gay, Brian was very much hetero. He was married to Lindsay Peterson Kinney, a lovely patrician blonde from a very old, prestigious Pittsburgh family. They had one son Gus, now five years old. According to every source Peter had, the marriage was successful and neither partner had ever strayed. Where Michael and Emmet excelled in business, Brian had decided to enter the academic world and was one of if not the most popular Professor at the University and there had never been one single word of scandal about him. Which was downright amazing when you considered how many nubile young women he had throwing themselves at him. Peter picked up an eight by ten photo of Brian, Lindsay and Gus. They were an exceptionally beautiful family.

He concentrated on Brian Kinney for a long time. His eyes filled with tears. He had known someone very much like Brian so long ago it was like ancient history. He briefly let his fingertips touch the face in the picture and linger on the sensuous smiling mouth. He pulled his hand back quickly. This was not for him. He still had penance to perform before he could think about long ago times. He said a silent prayer that the events he and the other board members were trying to set in motion would finally bring him the forgiveness he longed for.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian learns more about the Foundation but still has no idea what he has to offer them.

The feeling of eagerness Brian had last night was still there this morning and he was raring to go. He had a leisurely and excellent breakfast, lingered over a well brewed cup of coffee and looked through the Washington Post. He checked his watch and got up and started his preparations for the day. Brian was not a clothes horse but he did enjoy well tailored suits and his father-in-law always gave him gift certificates to Armani, Versace and Huntsman of Savile Row in London so he knew he would look like the wealthy author he was rather than a University Professor.

He had gone over and over the letter trying to find some sort of clue as to what the Foundation ‘hoped’ he would be interested in but so far it was still a mystery. He decided to stop worrying about the coming meeting and just enjoy the break from his frustrating attempts to force an appreciation of good writing into the heads of idiots who though ROTFLMAO was the height of witty repartee. He finished his grooming with a splash of expensive men’s cologne and started dressing. Black pin-striped wool woven so fine it was almost as drape able as silk; a dark crimson shirt of fine Egyptian cotton with a matching silk tie. Damn he was smokin’ even if he did say so himself. He finished by putting on his wedding ring, watch and slipping his wallet, PDA and a clean handkerchief into his pockets. There was a light knock on his door.

Brian had no idea who would be knocking and was surprised to see the assistant manager standing in the hall. The manager told Brian his limo was waiting for him and for some reason his phone showed busy so he had come up to tell him. Brian thanked him and headed off to enjoy his adventure. He thought he had seen a flash of something interesting on the manager’s face as he looked him over but he forgot all about it in the excitement of solving his mystery.

************

Brian stretched his long legs and had another sip of his excellent Long Island Iced Tea. It was about 2.00pm and he and the members of the Foundation were on a lunch break. They were in another room of the rather unobtrusive granite building that housed the Foundation. The conference room where they had been talking was comfortable and furnished with an eye toward discussion and careful exchanges of ideas. This room was at the very top of the building with magnificent views of Washington all around. Every wall in the room was glass. The kitchen must have been one floor down because this room was just small tables beautifully set with fine china, crystal and silver. Each table had a centerpiece of fresh flowers. Altogether the room screamed money, taste, breeding and an appreciation for the finest life had to offer. The effect continued to the food which was fantastic.

Brian was currently sitting with three members who hadn’t had too much to say during the previous discussion. Jude S Walker a retired attorney, Thomas Rogers an investment broker and Andrew Roca a former banker and Peter Roca's brother were his current companions. Brian was still struggling with names. When he walked into the conference room, he’d been greeted with the sight of 12 elderly gentlemen sitting around a beautiful walnut table. He immediately wondered if he was being tried by a jury of his peers. One of the men stood and approached him as he entered.

“Professor Kinney, I’m so glad you accepted our invitation. I’m Peter Roca. I’m not even going to try to introduce you to all our members because I realize that being assaulted with 12 names is a little much. We will instead preface our remarks with our name until you are more used to all of us. I must tell you we have been working together for some time now, sometimes it feels like all our lives, so we tend to argue among ourselves a lot. Please take the empty seat here and let’s get started.”

Brian came back to the moment as Thomas (he didn’t look like a ‘Tom’ or ‘Tommy’) asked him if he’d ever been to Washington DC before.

“No, well actually yes I have. I was a page here for one year when I started college but I decided politics wasn’t for me. “

“Oh, really? I would have thought, especially after the brilliant political system you created in your first book, that you had a real feel for politics.”

“Ah but Thomas, it was my book and my fuckin’ system; no committee’s no meetings just a straight-forward approach to solving problems.”

Jude Walker smiled and said, “You don’t sound like a fan of our current government, Professor Kinney.”

Brian grinned back at the man, “Please call me Brian, I’m on sabbatical from being a professor and I’d like to forget about it for a few days. I’m not a fan of this government; in fact I haven’t been a fan of our government current or otherwise for some time now. I thought Bush Sr. was better than his son who was an embarrassment to America and a just punishment to the idiots who elected him but he wasn’t my cup of tea. I had hopes for Obama but I let my enthusiasm for change, color my perspective. All he seems to be able to do is throw money on any bonfire that springs up. My son Gus and his descendents will all be paying the price for Obama’s experiments long after I’m dead and gone.”

Jude nodded thoughtfully. “You don’t seem to be hesitant about expressing your opinions Brian.”

“Why should I? I didn’t seek you out, you came to me. You must have investigated me before you asked to see me so you probably knew I’m not afraid to express myself before you issued the invitation. If we don’t like each other OR the proposition you brought me here to discuss I go back to teaching or writing or just spending my money on foolishness.”

Andrew Johnson joined in the conversation finally. “Exactly why did you respond to our invitation Brian?”

“It was either check you folks out or get arrested for going postal on my current crop of literary genius’s. I’ve found that Moby Dick will make or break a class. It either brings out the real writers, the thinkers or it seems to encourage the air heads to engage their blowholes.”

There was silence for a moment and then all three men broke out in laughter. Andrew had to grab his napkin to keep from spitting out the bite of salad he’d taken just as Brian made his outrageous comment. When he finally calmed down, he told the table he’d just gotten a mental picture of a college kid swimming around with a big plume of water coming out of his ass. It was Brian’s turn to laugh out loud. When he got control of himself again he looked over at the table where Peter Roca was sitting. He was not surprised to see Peter watching his table carefully. He was surprised to see the expression on his face. He looked for all the world like a proud father who’d just seen his kids do something good.

Lunch was over and Brian and his ‘jury’ had returned to the conference room. The morning hours had been spent on a discussion of the Foundation, its goals and its inception. It had been a fascinating morning for Brian. The Foundation had started informally around 1860 when a group of men with a deep love for their country and their world had begun to wonder what direction the world was heading.

It was the start of the second Industrial Revolution. Steam ships were being designed and built. Railways were being laid. The emphasis had long ago shifted from manual labor for everything to machine based manufacturing. The group of men, comprised roughly of the same mix that existed today, were concerned about how all this would change the world.

Now this was right up Brian’s alley. After all, he made his fortune by writing books about changes; what caused them and what stopped them. He was almost mesmerized and soaked all the information up like a sponge. Peter Roca told him how they began to solicit information from almost any and every source; birth records and death, manufacturing statistics, immigration numbers not just for America but all over the world. Eventually they had enough information that they could start identifying patterns. Of course, by now most of the original members were long gone and it was their descendents who were continuing their work.

All of the men involved were well off financially and able to devote time and resources to the constant acquisition of knowledge and the ways they would use that knowledge. Around 1929, the time of the great depression, they decided to form the Foundation. Since several of their members were lawyers, they were very careful about the legality of the Foundation. They wanted to make sure they could never be scrutinized by any governing body or interfered with in any way. Each member put up 1,000,000 dollars to start the foundation. At that time there were 25 active members so the Foundation began with a very healthy nest-egg. One of the perks for the men involved was the knowledge that the depression would occur long before it happened so they had all protected their wealth and they not only sailed through the depression without any noticeable changes but they were also able to profit from every body’s misfortune. The Foundation bought up huge blocks of stocks in railroads, shipping routes, utility companies, oil, gold and diamonds. Now the assets of the Foundation were almost beyond comprehension. Only the fact that they were a privately owned and funded Foundation kept them from public scrutiny and if the public ever realized just how wealthy the Foundation actually was, they were afraid there would be an onslaught of pleas for financial assistance.

Brian interrupted at this point. “So you have all this money and you don’t use it to improve anything except the Foundation’s bottom line?”

“No Brian, we do use our money very carefully and only after extensive examination of a situation. If there is one thing we have learned throughout the years it’s that money is not always the answer to all problems. We try to make sure that money, when given, goes to people who will use it for the common good of all mankind. It’s getting harder and harder to find such altruistic people in today’s world.”

Mr. Roca paused and drank from his goblet of water. “Have you ever heard of a man named Michael Novotny or an Emmet Honeycutt?”

Brian thought for a moment and then said both names sounded familiar but he wasn’t sure why. Mr. Roca mentioned the Oscar Brian had received for writing ‘Henry the Ninth’.

“Of course! He won the year before for ‘Pittsburgh Knights’. That was a great book and they managed to make a movie that was almost as good. He deserved his Oscar.”

Peter smiled, “So did you Brian, so did you. Mr. Novotny and Mr. Honeycutt are very wealthy young men and yet when Katrina destroyed New Orleans, they went down there and worked in the slime and filth for weeks. They organized food lines, showers and medical assistance. The Foundation donated $1,000,000 with the stipulation that Mr. Novotny and Mr. Honeycutt alone would control the funds. They squeezed every single cent out of that money and made it go further than I would have ever imagined possible. Thanks to them, there are whole blocks of safe, energy efficient homes that have been built for those people who were willing to work for the homes. That’s what we mean when we say using it for the common good.”

The conversation continued until lunch time with Mr. Roca and other members of the board explaining how they had developed their long-range strategies for predicting new trends; good and bad. When Brian started to ask about the bad trends, Mr. Roca told him they would pick up after they had all had a good meal and a little break.

They did not pick up the conversation when they returned after lunch. Instead Peter and the rest of the board members went through Brian’s life almost from birth to the current time. They asked question after question about his likes, his interests, what he didn’t like, what upset him. The questions were pointed and fast. Brian was almost dizzy when they finally decided at 6:30PM to break for the day and resume tomorrow. He realized that he had spent hours and hours with these men and he still hadn’t a clue what they wanted from him. He was just a little pissed about that but Mr. Roca assured him that tomorrow would give him the answers he was seeking. He apologized for the third degree he’d been given and explained that they had all been trained in extracting as much information as possible simply because of the needs of the Foundation. Brian wasn’t satisfied or happy but he was willing to give them one more day and then he either found out what these guys wanted or he was out of here.

Later that evening back at his hotel, he sat down and carefully entered everything he remembered from his conversations regarding the Foundation; its inception and its workings. Brian had almost total recall so it took quite a while to get it all in his computer. He carefully saved his work to a flash drive and then dropped the drive in his shaving kit. He had no idea why he was being so paranoid but he figured he would rather be paranoid than surprised.

After dinner and completing his entries, he called home and talked with Lindsay for a while. Gus was still awake so he got to spend some time with his baby boy although now that Gus was five, he didn’t like being called a ‘baby’ boy. He was a big boy now and he never missed a chance to let Brian and Lindsay know that he was to be taken seriously. Brian told his son and his wife he loved them and missed them and would be home soon and then hung up. He couldn’t help but wonder if everyone felt the way he did. He did love Gus and Lindsay. God he would give his life for either one of them but he couldn’t help but wonder sometimes if there wasn’t something he was missing. His love for Lindsay was warm and steady but it wasn’t passionate nor had it ever been. To be honest, Brian could not remember ever feeling passionate about anyone except Gus of course. He saw his friends and his students caught up in affairs and relationships and he knew they were feeling things he never had. He thought again as he had so many times in the past that there must be something wrong with him. He was simply incapable of deep, hot, romantic feelings for anyone. The closest he could come was his love for his boy; his baby boy. At least, he was able to make a good living for them and Lindsay seemed to be happy and even content so he guessed he would just have to accept the fact that he would never know those feelings. He felt a little sad about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian learns what the Foundation wants him for and why.

Brian woke up without the negative feelings and slight depression he’d had the night before. Again, he was ready and anxious for the day to begin. Today he would find out exactly what the Foundation wanted of him. He had a feeling his life was about to change; he just couldn’t decide whether it was going to be for the good or the bad. All he knew was, he was more than ready for the change.

He was very surprised to discover sometime in the night he’d evidently had a wet dream because his stomach was covered with a dried residue of cum. He suddenly remembered the weird dreams he’d had the night before. He never could see a face or even a body but he remembered hands and a mouth. God did he ever remember a mouth. He found his cock stirring again just at the thought of the things that mouth had done to him in his sleep.

He had a satisfactory sex life with Lindsay. Of course after 6 years of marriage, things weren’t as heated as they had been in the beginning but it was still adequate. They had sex at least once and occasionally twice a week. Once in a while he could get Linds to go down on him and he always enjoyed that. Of course it was slightly spoiled because she always hurried to the bathroom as soon as he climaxed. Lindsay had never and would never swallow. She felt she was doing enough just by using her mouth to get him off. The idea of swallowing his body fluids was repellant to her. He never pushed the issue. After hearing the locker room talk at the gym he realized that the fact that she would give him a blow job was better than a lot of his friends were getting.

Brian hurried into the shower. He needed to wash the cum off his body and the thoughts out of his mind. He needed to be alert today to handle the 12 board members. He realized his notion of being judged was pretty much on the money. He also realized they were as close to his peers as he was going to find in this world. They were all men of wealth and power. They were intelligent in many fields and they had an appreciation of all the fine things this world had to offer. He decided he could do worse than these 12 if he had to appear in front of a jury.

The morning started just as it had the day before. Coffee, pastries and fruit was served and everyone took their places at the large U shaped conference table. Brian sat at a small table inside the U. It was an odd configuration but he realized it brought them all much closer than a circle or a long rectangle would.After everyone got settled, things changed radically. Peter Roca stood and pushed a button which caused drapes to open against the large back wall. That wall was full of TV screens and whiteboards.

“Brian, we have asked you here because our world is on the brink of a worldwide catastrophe. I do not use those words lightly I assure you. Our whole foundation has been created to try to isolate this particular point in time and it is approaching so much faster than we ever thought it would. You see, we are killing our planet. When destruction or Armageddon if you wish comes, it won’t be from war or Mother Nature or sun spots or anything dramatic like that. Oh no, it will come of our own doing. Our own selfish exploitation of all these riches God bestowed on us. We were his creation, his children and we have squandered and plundered and looted all the wonders he has given us until now we are choking on our own filth, our own garbage and our own woeful mismanagement of this beautiful planet.”

Peter paused, obviously very much upset by what he was saying and what he was contemplating. Simon Zealor took over for him.

“I assure you we do not make these pronouncements lightly or without a great deal of thought and investigation but the signs are painfully obvious. We had hoped that the election of a black president was a sign that America was beginning to realize that we are all humans and we all have to share this planet no matter what our skin color. This was one of the few times we failed and failed miserably in our forecasts. It appears the election was simply a backlash against the years of Bush and his cronies. Prejudice and hatred are still alive and well in the good old US of A. That prejudice according to all our predictions will culminate in a race war that may well end life as we know it now. And it’s going to happen within the next fifty years if we don’t do something to stop it.”

Andrew Johnson took over from Simon.

“We have determined that the next election will be the deciding factor. If we can elect a minority president that can rally the country and not spend us into complete financial disaster, there is a chance that the war can be prevented or at least not be as extreme as we are seeing right now. We have found someone we think can be that deciding factor.”

Peter had recovered his composure and again took the lead in the conversation.

“Do you remember when we asked you if you had heard of Michael Novotny or Emmet Honeycutt?”

Brian nodded; he did remember their names coming up yesterday.

“We want to elect Mr. Novotny president and we want you to be his speech writer and researcher.”

There was complete silence in the room while Brian attempted to assimilate all that had been thrown at him in the last hour. Finally he raised his head and said, “Wait a minute. I’ve met Michael Novotny and he’s about as far from being a minority as anyone I’ve ever seen. Unless you’re referring to his money and his talent.”

“Brian, Michael is a member of the smallest and most hated minority group in the world. He is gay; openly gay as is his partner Emmet Honeycutt. They make no excuses for their life style, they make no excuses for their sexuality. They have been together since they were eight years old and are long time lovers although they both have affairs with other men. They always come back together again and they never seem to argue or hold grudges. We have devoted all our time and resources to plotting every single possible event we can think of. Everything we have discovered, every extrapolation we have run all tells us the same thing; Michael is the only possible candidate to avert or at least postpone a worldwide disaster. We want and need you to be part of our attempt to give our world one last chance.”

Again Brian went into deep thought mode. He got up and began pacing around the large conference room. No one said a word. They all waited and gave him space and quiet to think. He swung around suddenly and pointed a finger at Peter Roca.

“Why the hell do you need me? I’ve read Novotny’s book; I heard him at the awards when my story was nominated. Believe me he is articulate and intelligent. He’s more than capable of talking for himself.”

Peter was nodding before Brian completed his thoughts. “Of course he is BUT he is gay. All his friends are gay. His main support group is gay. He needs a hetero point of view. He needs to be able to reach everyone in this nation; all colors, all religions, all nationalities. He needs the tempering you can give him and I think the three of you, because make no mistake, if you work with Michael you work with Emmet also, I think the three of you will make a formidable team. You are all handsome, intelligent with names that are well known. He's got almost as much money as the foundation between what he’s earned from his video games, his books and his movies. When you add all that to what he’s inherited and will inherit when his Uncle Victor and his mother die, he’s going to be one of the most influential men in the world. You are wealthy in your own right and yet you labor as a white collar worker. You will make him appeal to the masses. You will help him to sound like Everyman not some rich guy who’s never worked a day in his life. We expect a lot more from you than just speeches. We want your ideas on ways to make his life style fade into the background while his skills and his humanity take front and center. And Brian, it won’t be easy. It will be the hardest work you’ve ever done in your life. But the rewards will be tremendous; even if no one ever knows what you’ve done, you will.”

“What do Novotny and Honeycutt have to say about all this? Are they willing to have some straight guy start telling them what to say and when to say it?”

“We don’t know. We spoke with Michael and Emmet almost three weeks ago and we have given them time to consider our proposition. We expect their answer within a month. I hope to get you and the two of them together in the next few weeks to meet and become acquainted with each other. We are hoping for the best but it’s a big step for any man to consider and especially a man in Michael’s position. He doesn’t have to put himself out there on the firing line. He can afford to sit back and let the world crash around him without lifting a finger. We are betting on his humanitarian interests to override his common sense.”

***********************

While Brian was getting a dose of ‘The End of Days’ in Washington DC, back in Pittsburgh there was another apocalyptic conversation going on. Emmet was furious at even a hint that Michael might be considering the ‘Foundations’ preposterous proposal. His non-psychic vibes were eating him alive telling him that this was not just A bad idea but possible THE baddest idea in the history of the world. He was long past the point of rational behavior and Michael was hard-put to keep a civil tongue in his head. He was ready to tell Emmet to grow up and stop acting like a spoiled child.

“God Em, you act like Mr. Roca and his buddies are the devil’s agents and they’re just waiting to claim my soul into eternal damnation. I’m just asking you to treat this like any other proposal we’ve received and do some due diligence. Why are you so dead set on even discussing this?”

“Because the idea of any gay man running for president in this country is just asking to be assassinated. America is the most prejudiced country in the world today and all your money won’t be able to protect you from the comments and jokes and downright sleazy remarks that will be directed at you and me and anyone who is close to you.”

“Okay, that’s an argument on the con side. Let’s do like we always do; draw up a list of arguments for and against the proposition and see how it looks.”

“Okay fine. Just let me call down and order a truckload of paper for the CON side because right now I can’t think of one single thing to go on the PRO side.”

“Jesus Christ Em, do you have to be so damn dramatic. Can you please hold down your nelly queen side for just a moment and let’s talk about this calmly and rationally. What the hell are you so afraid of?”

“Oh you mean besides someone shooting your ass into Kingdom Come? Gee, I have no idea…after all what could go wrong in these homophobic United States? Well let’s see, there’s kidnapping, torture, rape, character assignation and let’s not forget the ever popular out-right lies. Michael, why in the world would you even consider laying yourself open to all that?”

“Em, we both lay ourselves open to all that every single minute we’re alive just by being who we are. You knew when we decided we would live our life out in the open, not hide the fact that we’re gay that we were exposing ourselves to possible danger. Do you really think I don’t know why you’ve become such a specialist in security? Hell, I think it would be easier to break into Fort Knox than any of our homes.”

“Well of course it’s easier silly. There’s no more gold in Fort Knox. The last four administrations have spent it all!”

“The fact remains Em; we’re in danger just being who we are. But the idea of making a difference, really making a difference…God Emmet! Doesn’t that make your balls tingle? It does mine.”

“Mitch, you are the only thing that makes my balls tingle…well you and Jake Gyllenhaal. But then, he’d make a corpse’ balls tingle.”

“HEY!!! And I wouldn’t?”

“Of course you would baby. You know you’re the sexiest man in the world which is why you are dead wrong as a candidate for the presidency. Presidents are not sexy.”

“OH I beg to differ…what about JFK? He was hot and Bill Clinton when he was in his thin phases.”

“Okay, so there are exceptions to every rule. But you are cute sexy and it would never do for the president of the United States of America to be carded and you know it could happen. Besides, do you really think you could go for four years without letting go in Babylon or The Hanging Gardens or Gomorrah? You can’t go to a gay club while you’re campaigning and you sure as hell can’t go if you’re elected. Do you really think you can hold out that long without getting desperate for some hot, tight, sexy butt action?”

“Now what makes you think I’m going to be celibate for four years and you do realize if I got elected to two terms it would eight?”

Emmet just groaned and collapsed on the couch.

“Come on Em. You know damn well, you’re going to have the whole damn White House locked down tighter than a virgin’s a-hole. There will be so many security gadgets and cloaking devices, I may go sterile from all the rays. And you will be there with me. What happened to that offer of all the hand jobs I need. Who knows? Maybe we’ll finally take the plunge and become full fledged lovers.”

“Oh right. We finally take the next step because I’m the only person available? I don’t think so. If we ever go all the way it will because we both know it’s time and we can’t hold back any longer. So don’t think old Emmet is just going to be your ‘port in a storm’.”

Michael walked over and flopped down across Emmet’s lap on the couch. He reached up and pulled his angry face down to his and began smoothing away all the lines and the frustration. He pulled him down even further and laid a gentle, loving kiss on his mouth.

“Emmet, you’re my ‘port in a storm’, my safe harbor, my refuge and my main reason for staying sane in this somewhat non-functional world of ours. I love you Em. I have since I was eight years old and you scared off Bobby Kingston at Miss Charlotte’s dance class. You were my knight in shining armor then and you have been for every day of my life since.”

Michael smiled at his friend who couldn’t help but smile back. Emmet gathered him up in his arms and they just clung together there on the couch in their living room. Both men were lost in their thoughts and it was a scary place to be.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and Lindsay have the same disagreement as Michael and Emmet and finally, Brian, Michael and Emmet meet.

Brian had concluded his meetings with the Foundation for Common Sense and was back home again. He had a lot to think about and a lot to discuss with his wife. He wasn’t sure how she would take the idea of him trying to elect a gay man president. His wife and her whole family were Episcopalian and had definite beliefs in the bible views on homosexuality. He had a feeling this was going to be a very interesting discussion. He wasn’t sure which way he would argue because he still didn’t know how he felt about the whole situation. On one hand, the idea of being part of such a history making event was almost unbelievable to someone like Brian. He was a historian and a researcher and he had a vivid imagination. He knew their chances were slim and none but still…he would be there. He would be on the inside. He would have a chance to see democracy in work no matter how sick and weak that democracy was by now.

And it wasn’t as though the candidate wasn’t interesting. Michael Novotny had captured his interest with the first few pages of his amazing book, ‘Pittsburgh Knights’. It had been a clever play on words since the story was about four gay men trying to find their place in Pittsburgh and the way they spent their nights. The man was intelligent which meant writing for him would be a challenge but an exciting one.

Lindsay called his name again. She was getting a little impatient to hear about his trip and he’d put her off long enough; might as well get it over with.

****************

Well, that had gone well. The conversation had been as bad as Brian expected. Lindsay was absolutely appalled at the idea of a gay man in the White House. All she could say was, ‘What will mommy and daddy think?’ After about the twelfth time of hearing that, Brian lost his temper and said, he didn’t give a flying fuck what mommy and daddy thought; this was their life not her parents and he had no intention of letting their archaic beliefs decide his future. He suddenly realized he had made his decision and it had been so easy. He calmed Linds down and apologized for using such foul language. He reassured her that nothing was set in stone; after all, Novotny and Honeycutt hadn’t decided whether they would run or not and if they didn’t, there would be no campaign and he would not be a part of the process.

Lindsay finally stopped crying and said she hoped to goodness that the two men in question would have the decency not to flaunt their disgusting lifestyle in front of the whole country. The subject was closed as far as his WASPy wife was concerned and she would not allow the troubling thoughts back in her mind again. She was still stunned at the language her husband had used in her presence. She couldn’t imagine where he had ever heard anything that vulgar; certainly not from anyone in her circle of friends.

While life was returning to normal in the Kinney household, the same could be said in the Novotny-Honeycutt family home. Emmet had calmed down after a nice long make-out session with his partner and had eventually set up a PRO/CON list for the presidency. So far the only thing he had on the PRO side was inviting every single desirable male he’d ever lusted for to the White House. Michael had laughed out loud when he saw that and reminded Emmet that just because they might accept an invitation that didn’t mean they would be playing in his sandbox. With his typical flair, Emmet informed Michael that all he needed was to get them in his world and he would do the rest. Michael didn’t doubt it for a moment. Emmet could be pretty irresistible when he wanted to be and oddly enough he was also quite subtle.

Things stayed calm and quiet for about three weeks and then both households received another invitation from the Foundation. They assured Michael and Emmet that they were not pressing them for a decision but they had someone they wanted them to meet; someone who they hoped would be a strong member of their election team and before they pursued the matter further, they needed to know if the three could work together.

It was a shame that Lindsay and Emmet didn’t know each other because their reactions were exactly the same; almost word for word. Of course Emmet’s was a little more colorful and had one of THOSE words that had shocked Lindsay so much when she’d heard her husband use them.

Emmet’s response had been, “ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOT!!!!”

Lindsay’s response had been a milder, “Absolutely not. I refuse to allow you to have any further discussions with those vile, disgusting people.”

Brian was so shocked at her response he almost couldn’t reply. When he finally got his wits about him again he spoke so quietly she had to strain to hear him.

“Lindsay, you are my wife and the mother of my son so I will always love and respect you but where the HELL did you ever get the idea that you could forbid me to do anything one way or another when it comes to my career or anything else for that matter.”

Brian turned on his heel and walked out of the house. He got as far as the front porch where he pulled out his phone and returned the Foundation’s call. He told them he would be glad to return to Washington DC to meet with them and Mr. Novotny and Mr. Honeycutt. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He still had to talk with Dean Belmont and he was not going to be happy to hear that his star draw was taking off for the last two weeks of the term. If he thought that was bad wait until he heard that Brian would be taking a sabbatical for at least 18 months. That would shrink his balls and everything else. OOPS. Better be careful about shrinking the little man too much. He wanted to be able to find him when he was ready to come back to the university.

While Brian was laying the law down to his wife, Michael was trying to deal with a very pissed off Emmet Honeycutt. Emmet didn’t get mad often and he never got mad at Michael so this was sort of a first for them. Michael found himself trying to placate a furious partner who for the first time since they were eight years old wanted no part of him. He was at his wits end and finally just exploded and told Emmet he was going to go to Washington and meet this person and if Emmet didn’t want to go with him that was fine; he was going even if he did have to go by himself. Emmet turned his back on him and told him to go ahead and go. He obviously didn’t need him anymore.

Suddenly Michael realized he couldn’t go anywhere without Emmet so he quickly decided he needed to get Emmet’s caretaker side activated.

“Emmet I’ve told you and told you I will always need you but if you feel this strongly about the whole thing then I’m not going to upset you by forcing you to go with me. I’ll go by myself and if I get too lonesome without you, I’ll go to that club we went to when we were there before. It was a little rougher than we’re used to but I’m sure I will be okay for just one night.”

Emmet spun around in his tracks and just looked at Michael in complete astonishment.

“Michael Charles Novotny; do you really mean to tell me you think you are going to be okay in Washington by yourself? Do you have any idea how many rough trade types I steered away from you that night? Why you wouldn’t last one hour there without me. If you are determined to go through with this madness then I guess I’ll have to go with you just to keep your ass out of trouble.”

Michael managed to hide his smile before he turned around. “Em I don’t want you to do anything you really don’t want to do and I know how well you take care of me but I’m sure I’ll be alright just this once. I don’t want you to worry yourself about me at all. I just want you to be safe and comfortable.”

Emmet glared at Michael and said, “Cut it out Mitch! You’ve won and I’m going; so stop with the bullshit already.”

Michael went over and put his arms around his pissed-off partner. “Thank you Em. I didn’t want to go without you but I really need to follow through on this. I want to see what they have up their sleeves. I have no idea who this guy is they want us to meet but if they’re willing to pay to get us together for a meeting, it must be important. I just want to satisfy my curiosity; that’s all.”

Em was still angry but he wrapped his arms around Michael and hugged him back. “You knew damn well I wouldn’t let you get yourself in trouble without me being there to look after you. I don’t like being manipulated like this so don’t try it too often.”

“Em, we’ve been together for 27 years now and I’ve never done this before so I think the odds are pretty good that I won’t be doing it again for another 27 years.”

“If you get elected president, God Forbid, you will be doing it to everyone including me. A president by nature has to be a manipulative son-of-a-bitch.”

“Well, I’m going to be the first ‘good-guy’ president.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

Calls were made, followed by arrangements in both households and eventually a date was set three days in the future. Neither Brian nor Michael knew it but they already had a lot in common; two very, very pissed off housemates.

*********************

Back in Washington DC, the Foundation members were engaged in a heated discussion. The majority of the members wanted to use any sort of pressure they could come up with to force Michael to run. Their argument was very simple, almost impossible to disagree with; Michael was the only candidate their investigations had come up with and the world was running out of time. The other five members of the board argued that they had gotten in the mess in the first place by not following instructions and their instructions were very plain. They were to observe, gather data and make predictions. They could use some pressure but it had to be minimal and non-intrusive. Blackmail quite obviously did not fit that criterion. In the end, Peter Roca as Chairman decided that they would wait until after the meeting. If things did not go well, if Michael, Emmet and Brian absolutely hated each other and couldn’t work together at all, they would consider trying to find another speech-writer/researcher AND looking into some non-intrusive methods of persuasion where Michael and Emmet were concerned. Thomas told him he was going to wait them right into Armageddon if he wasn’t careful. Peter merely smiled and told him he had always been impatient and he needed to learn patience.

“Damn it all Peter, if I haven’t learned patience by now then I never will.” Thomas stood up abruptly, shoved his chair back and left the room.

Peter smiled again and told the rest of the members it looked as though their meeting was over. After the room had cleared, Peter remained in his big chair at the strange ‘U’ shaped table. He hoped to God and all the saints he was right and that everything would come together the way he believed it would. For the hundredth time, he pulled some papers out of his briefcase and went through them again. No, he had to believe, he had to keep faith. Everything he’d learned over the years, every piece of information he had access to told him there was a connection between these three men that was so strong, nothing, not even the possible end of the world could keep them apart.

************************************

If this were a typical script for a typical Hollywood disaster movie, the directions would call for ominous storm clouds, flashing lightning bolts and great claps of thunder. However it’s not so the weather in Washington was nothing to write home about. The sun was shining, birds were singing, folks were out walking around the capital city, taking photos and trying to cram in as many monuments as they could. Everything was ready in the innocuous granite building. Although the anxiety level was high enough that T. Luke was wishing he’d brought his black bag with him so he could tranquilize the entire board; himself included. Everything they stood for, everything they had been created for would come to fruition in the next few hours and it all depended on the whim of three men; two gays and one straight. God that had to be some sort of cosmic joke. The phone in the room rang. It was the doorman. The first of their guests had arrived.

************************

Michael entered the conference room alone to be greeted by all the Foundation members. Peter had an anxious look on his face. “Michael, where is Emmet? Didn’t he come with you?”

“Oh yes Mr. Roca…I mean Peter. He came with me but he decided he had to give about a thousand instructions to our driver to make sure he understood he was not to leave here and he was to be ready to whisk us away in a heartbeat.”

Peter laughed out loud. “He really doesn’t trust us does he?”

“No he doesn’t and believe me; you nice straight men don’t want to know what lengths I had to sink to to persuade him to come with me. Let’s just say it was a night of debauchery that will go down in gay history.”

There was complete silence in the room and then one of the members let out a chuckle he just could not hide any longer and that was all it took. The room full of elderly gentlemen were almost hysterical with laughter and that’s what Emmet walked into.

A very suspicious Emmet Honeycutt was warmly welcomed with smiles and handshakes. He kept trying to corner Michael to ask him what had transpired before his arrival but Michael always seemed to be just out of his reach. After a few minutes of general conversation the phone rang again. One of the members (Michael and Emmet still could not put names to all of them) answered the phone, spoke briefly and then announced to the room that their other guest had arrived and would be with them in seconds.

Sure enough there was a very small pause and then the door opened again. Brian Kinney had arrived. As with Emmet, Brian was welcomed with smiles and handshakes. After a few minutes of greeting, Peter called for attention and then said, “I think it’s time for the introduction’s to be made that have brought us all together. Emmet, Michael this is Professor Brian Kinney. The three of you have a lot in common besides age and intelligence. Brian is the author of several best sellers one of which won the Oscar for best picture the year after yours did. Brian, we’d like you to meet Michael Novotny and Emmet Honeycutt.”

There was complete silence in the room as everyone sort of sized up everyone else. Twelve people in the room were probably holding their breath. Oh heck, make that all 15 of them. The three main protagonists looked each other over. Finally Emmet walked up to Brian and stuck out his hand.

“Professor Kinney, I remember you from our time in Hollywood. We were at the same party but no one ever bothered to introduce us to each other and I couldn’t get through the crowd of nubile young starlets who were trying to rip you away from your wife. I’m Emmet.”

Brian took Emmet’s hand in a firm grip. The two men looked at each other just standing there holding hands. Finally Brian shook his head a little and grinned at Emmet. “God I wish I’d known that at the time. I thought I’d died and gone to Hell. I would have welcomed anyone who could have got me out of that mess.”

Emmet continued looking at Brian and then with an expression of sadness so deep it almost hurt, he put his other hand over their clasped hands.

“I’m trusting you with my most precious possession. Be sure you take good care of him.”

Brian didn’t fully understand what just happened but he knew somehow a connection had been made with this complete stranger and he wasn’t afraid of that connection. He was actually eager to learn more about Emmet Honeycutt and what make him tick. He realized they were still standing in the middle of the room and their hands were still clasped together. He put his other hand over Emmet’s and looked him right in the eye. He make a promise even though he had no idea what he was promising.

“I will. I promise.”

They stepped away from each other and Emmet turned back toward his friend. He motioned Michael forward. Michael walked up to Brian with a warm smile and stuck out his hand just like Emmet had done.

“I’m Michael and I think you’re a genius.”

Brian started to laugh but when his hand touched Michael’s he felt a shock all the way up to his armpit and into his chest. He couldn’t say anything for a moment but when he got his faculties back he realized that Michael had felt it too. His mouth was open and he was staring at Brian with a puzzled look on his face.

Brian managed to pull himself together and told Michael he was just about to say the same thing to him. As with Emmet, the two men continued to hold hands long after convention said they should step back from each other.

Finally Peter spoke up and said, they would have a brief meeting and then he felt the best way for the three men to get acquainted would be for them to spend the day together without the interference of the Foundation. As he motioned for everyone to take their seats he spoke briefly and privately with Brian.

“What happened Brian when you shook hands with Michael? You looked like you went somewhere else for a moment.”

“No Peter it was nothing. I guess we shocked each other when we shook hands that’s all. I felt a jolt clear up my arm. I guess one or both of us must have picked up some static electricity from the carpet. Everything’s fine.”

Brian smiled reassuringly at the old gentleman and went to take his seat. Peter thought for a moment and then smiled as he walked across the polished hardwood floors to find his own seat.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three men spend the day getting to know each other.

They all took their seats in the large conference room; the twelve board members at the ‘U’ shaped conference table and Michael, Emmet and Brian at the small rectangular table within the arms of the ‘U’. It was a strange configuration but it effectively brought the 15 men in close proximity. They were all able to hand document’s to each other and it seemed to make that many people seem less formal and almost friendly. Peter stood and pointed a remote control at the large solid wall.

“The three of you know how and why the foundation was created. Now we want to show you how we came to the decision that you, Michael are the perfect candidate for this election. It might be somewhat difficult for the average man to follow our line of reasoning but the three of you are far from average. You are all quite extraordinary. There is a philosophy that believes that exceptional times breed exceptional people. I don’t know if that’s true or not but one has to give it some credence when you realize how badly we have mismanaged everything and yet just now, the three of you make an appearance.”

Peter pressed a button, the drapes closed and the room became very dark. Michael was sitting between Emmet and Brian and he was acutely aware of their proximity. He could almost feel his heartbeat matching first Emmet and then Brian. Within seconds all three men were breathing as one. The back wall lit up with pictures. Peter took them through all the steps the foundation had gone through to come to the conclusion that now was the critical point in history.

He started in 1964.

“With the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, race relations seemed to be headed in the right direction. However, states acted to circumvent the new federal law, including California that created Proposition 14, which moved to block the fair housing section of the Act. This created anger and a feeling of injustice within the inner cities.

On August 11, 1965, Los Angeles's South Central neighborhood of Watts became a scene of the greatest example of racial tension America had seen.A Los Angeles police officer pulled over motorist Marquette Frye [who was with his brother Ronald]; he suspected Marquette of driving drunk. While officers questioned them, a crowd of onlookers had begun to form. When Rena Frye, the boys mother showed up, a struggle ensued which led to the arrest of all 3 members of the Frye family. More officers had arrived on the scene and had hit the brothers with their batons. The crowd had grown and by this point had become angry. After the police left the scene, the crowd & tension escalated and sparked the riots, which lasted 6 days. More than 34 people died, 1000 wounded, and an estimated $50 - $100 million in property damage.”

Simon Zealor took over at this point. The three men were beginning to recognize some of the men and remember their names. Simon seemed to be Peter’s second in command and they all noticed that he often picked up Peter’s line of thought and continued it almost as easily as Emmet and Michael did.

“Obviously this was not the first time America had been subjected to photos of fighting between law enforcement and mobs. The Little Rock Nine was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The ensuing Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, and then attended after the intervention of President Eisenhower, is considered to be one of the most important events in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. On their first day of school, guards at the school would not let them in and they were followed by mobs bearing threats to be lynched. We have a long and not so illustrious history of letting our prejudices loose for the world to see. “

Andrew Johnson who Brian remembered from their lunch together that first day, picked up the story.

“It’s not just the race riots; the destruction of the Brazilian rain forests, the thinning of the ozone layer, the increase in hurricanes and volcano’s and tornado’s and tsunami’s. We could go on and on and on. The fact of the matter is, we are destroying our world and we have to stop and stop now. We have already lost so much history, so much land so many species of animal and plant life are gone never to be seen again.

Now this is where you three are going to have to take us on faith because we don’t have visual proof of what we are about to tell you. We, and by ‘we’ I mean every single researcher who works for the foundation, have come to the conclusion that one man can make a difference right now. But it has to be the right man. It has to be a man from a minority group. It has to be a man who cares for the common man and who believes in working for the common good of the people; all of the people. It would help if the man were wealthy in his own right. That would halt a lot of the slander about someone wanting to make money off the coming changes AND it would also help with the charges that the new president is working for special interest groups. WE have looked and searched and investigated and Michael, you are that man. The fact that you have a solid partner in Emmet who is just as intelligent and committed as you are is a big plus that we never expected.

When we realized we needed a gay man, we also knew we needed a straight man to be part of the inner circle. Originally we thought that a gay candidate with a straight vice-presidential candidate would fit the bill but having Emmet was not something we had anticipated and we realized all most at once that you two are a matched set and we don’t get one without the other."

For the first time since the show started Emmet spoke up with a snarky, “You sure as hell don’t get your mitts on Mitch without me and don’t even think about trying.”

Peter spoke up again. “Believe me Emmet, we have no intention of trying to separate the two of you. We realize that you are a prime example of the whole being bigger than the sum of it’s parts. Besides, I think we are going to need your expertise in security not just for the campaign but also in our Foundation center and certainly after you are residents of the White House.”

Brian broke in then, “You seem to be pretty certain that you are going to get Michael elected. Aren’t you counting your chickens before their hatched?”

“No Brian, I’m practicing the Power of Positive Thinking. I realize this is going to be the nastiest, hardest fought battle in the history of American politics. I also realize that the three of you are going to be bearing the brunt of it all; Michael and Emmet because of their sexual orientation and you because you are working with them. You are going to be called names and spit on and maybe even physically attacked. We are prepared to spend what ever amount of money is needed to protect not only the three of you but your families, friends and loved ones. What we are NOT prepared to do is buy this election for you. The bylaws of our Foundation forbid us from using our knowledge to gain financially or to in any way influence the coming events. So we will be keeping our hands off and our presence out of the spotlight. We will be working behind the scene to set up rallies, speeches and establish grass roots support for your campaign.

Now, I think you have enough information to keep you busy for a while. We are ready to send you back to your hotel. We have booked the three of you into the same place and your rooms are on the same floor. Michael, your suite is bigger than Brian’s because of your double occupancy so you may want to hold your meetings there but from this point on, we will leave the three of you alone to make your decisions in peace and quiet. Take all the time you need, take advantage of every amenity the hotel has to offer. There are all sorts of things to do in Washington to occupy your time. When you are ready to leave just give me a call and I will arrange for the jet to be at your disposal. It is convenient having all three of you living in Pittsburgh but if you want to fly home at different times please do not hesitate to make whatever choices are convenient for you. We are asking a tremendous favor from the three of you and are prepared to place ourselves at your disposal.”

Everyone stood, hands were shook and Emmet called their driver. He turned to Brian, “I’m assuming you don’t mind driving back with us or do you want your own car and some privacy?”

“Hey, if we decide to go through with this it looks as though we’re going to be living in each other’s pockets for some time to come so we might as well see if we can stand each other right now.”

Emmet grinned at him and said, “Oh gorgeous, I won’t mind you being in my pockets at all and anything else you want to explore.”

Brian’s mouth was still hanging open when the car pulled up in front of the steps.

**********************

The ride back to the hotel was quiet; almost the calm before the storm. The three men arrived at the hotel and decided that they would meet in Michael and Emmet’s suite in 30 minutes which would give Brian time to call home and check in with Lindsay (assuming she would even speak to him) and it would give Emmet time to sweep their suite for bugs.

Thirty minutes later, Brian knocked on their door and walked into the lion’s den. All three men had changed into jeans and t-shirts and were much more relaxed than they had been all day. They decided to order some lunch and hit the fully furnished bar and try to get to know each other.

Three hours later, they were all three a little tipsy and completely relaxed. Brian found he was actually enjoying himself even with the odd comments sprinkled throughout their conversation. He still was trying to get used to the idea of men; intelligent, well-bred men openly hitting on him. Michael and Emmet were both flirting with him and he was completely out of his league.

After one especially outrageous comment from Emmet, Brian looked at both of them and shook his head. “Are you two going to keep this up for the next 16 months?”

Michael grinned and said, “Probably. Think you’re up for it.”

Brian grinned back and said, “Novotny, you will be amazed at what I’m up for.”

“Whoa Emmet, I think our little straight boy is beginning to pick up the lingo. What do you think?”

“I think our little straight boy doesn’t have a clue what he’s getting into, Baby Boy. But I think you and I can get him acclimatized pretty fast.”

Brian smiled at both of his tormenters. “I think the two of you are testing me and having a hell of a lot of fun doing it. The thing I’m not sure of is why you are doing it. Are you trying to see if I’m a homophobe?”

Emmet got serious and came over and sat down beside Brian. “No we’re pretty sure you’re not but you have no idea what you’re in for Brian. You see, Michael and I are gay as you well know but what you don’t realize is that gay men are a hell of a lot more interested in sex than straight men are. Maybe it’s because we don’t have as many chances as you do. We have to find someone like us and in our society that ain’t always easy. Then we have to find an opportunity to indulge ourselves and again that ain’t easy. Where you might get teased if you got caught with your hand up a girl’s skirt, we run the chance of being arrested, beat-up or even killed. So sex takes on a huge important place in our lives. Now normally, Michael and I would relax by going to a gay club but while he’s running we can’t take that chance.

That means that we are going to have to rely on each other and friends and past lovers for our release because we trust them and know they won’t be taking secret pictures or giving interviews to the sleaze rags about our kinks or lack thereof. That means that you are going to be exposed to language you’ve never even dreamed of or situations you would pass up in a porn movie. Now that doesn’t mean we intend to have sex in front of you. We aren’t that uncouth but it does mean that you are going to see men hugging or kissing or maybe even an occasional grope. We need to know if you’re going to be able to put up with that and still keep your focus on electing Michael.”

There was complete silence in the room while Brian digested Emmet’s remarks. At last he let out a sigh.

“I have to be honest. I don’t have a clue how I’m going to act. I’m having fun with just you two right now but what happens when I’m in a roomful of gay guys and they’re all horny; that I can’t tell you. I may have to do a disappearing act a lot and we better make sure we all have white noise machines because I’m not sure I want to hear anything anymore than I want to see anything. This is a completely new situation for me. I’ve never known any gay people. I’m sure some of my students are but they’ve never been overt about it in front of me and of course with my wife’s family background, we sure as hell don’t have any gay friends. In fact, she is furious with me for even considering collaborating with you. The idea of a gay president is completely repugnant to her. How do you two feel about that?”

Michael had been nodding throughout most of Brian’s little speech. “We appreciate your honesty Brian. I think the three of us will get along just fine. I also think we’re reasonable men and we should be able to talk out any problems that come up. Emmet and I will try our best to keep our urges under wraps. As to our friends, we’ll hold them down as much as possible. They’re all professional men so they ought to have some semblance of manners but you just never know. I’m pretty sure the Foundation will see to it that we have quality quarters wherever we go so if it gets too bad you can retire to your room.”

Brian looked at his two new collaborators and asked the 64,000 question.

“Does this mean we’re running?”

Emmet looked at Michael and spoke for both of them. “We’re running. God Help Us.”

Brian downed the last of his Jim Bean and said, “NO;God Help the US of A.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After four months of disappointing campaigning, Brian gets a visitor in his bed and Michael gets a break and makes himself known to the press.

Four Months Later

As Brian fell across his bed, he had a small twinge of guilt that he hadn’t removed his clothes first. The odds were highly in favor of him falling asleep in his suit…again. His head was aching and his thoughts were so badly jumbled it was like looking into the center of a tornado and watching all the random pieces of debris twirling around.

One thought came front and center; ‘well at least I haven’t been subjected to any random gay scenes’. Ever since Michael’s candidacy had been announced everything had moved into fast forward…very fast forward.

The news had been greeted with riots from the straights, spontaneous street parades in every gay center in the world, fire and brimstone from almost all the religious pulpits in existence. Brian was sure that somewhere even the Dalai Lama was spouting out zen philosophy which amounted to Gay Bad, Straight Good. Sales of Michael and Emmet’s game had plummeted and Brian was sure they would withdraw but Emmet just smiled and told him to have a little faith. He firmly believed in the power of the teen set to make life miserable for their parents if they didn’t get their new backdrops. Sure enough, within three weeks sales were higher than ever.

The three men had been on TV talk shows and news shows and pretty much everything except Oprah and Saturday Night Live. Michael said the line had to be drawn somewhere and those two were it for him.

Their nights were a blur of research and cobbling together items of interest depending on what venue they would be appearing in. Their days were a blur of time schedules and makeup and clothes changes. Brian could not remember the last meal they had eaten at a table with silverware and napkins. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that Michael and Emmet were just as tired and worn-out as he was.

“Shit and it’s only been four months. We’ve got 12 more months to go. I don’t think I’ll live through anymore of this.”

It wouldn’t have been quite as hard had it not been for the constant threats and security issues. Somewhere along the line Emmet had gone without sleep for 3 straight nights and showed up with four new devices; three small ones to be kept on their person at all times they were outside their cleared lodgings and one big one.

The first time they saw it, Michael asked him what it did that was so different from their ‘sweepers’. Emmet told them to watch and listen. He flipped a small switch on the front of the box and within seconds they heard several small pops and saw small puffs of smoke coming from various pieces of furniture. Michael and Brian looked at Emmet with renewed respect.

“Em…what did you just do?” Michael was smiling. He knew his partner had thought up something very diabolical.

“Oh I just fixed it so that the box automatically search’s out any listening, recording or video device and sends a signal back down to its source. That signal is strong enough to fry the circuitry on the bug and if there is a live listener on the other end, they are going to have one hell of a headache.”

Michael grabbed his exhausted, but very smug partner and planted a big, sloppy wet kiss right on his lips. Brian reached out and patted Em on the shoulder.

“Right now, I could almost second that kiss with one of my own. Finally, we get on the scoreboard.”

Em grinned at both of them and said, “Damn it, I finally get you offering to give me a kiss and I’m too fuckin’ tired to even follow through. Let me get some beauty sleep and we’ll see what happens then.”

By the time Em had managed to grab a nap, two more catastrophe’s had occurred and the moment was lost.

The three small personal devices Em had created caused a field to be generated around each man so that nothing they said could be picked up by a listening device. It didn’t interfere with conversation but if someone had a secret recorder on them, it picked up nothing but static. They kept the devices on them or next to their beds at all times. The device also had a GPS tracking system hidden in its tiny circuitry. They had all three been threatened and there had been one attempt to grab Michael outside the CBS building. The Foundation had kept its word and their security was second to none; not just for them but for their families also. Lindsay and Gus were under a tight 24 hour watch and they knew nothing about it at all. Brian wondered if President Obama was getting service as good as they were.

Michael had actually received a call from the President asking him if he knew what he was letting himself in for. They had talked for almost ten minutes and it had been most cordial. Michael thanked him for clearing the path for him. The president laughed and said he was afraid that his problems were just a walk in the park compared to the shit Michael would get thrown at him. Michael told him he hoped he was speaking figuratively and NOT literally. The conversation ended with laughter and good wishes.

Brian rolled over on the bed and looked at his pillow. Tracy, his personal assistant, had taken to leaving a large sign on his pillow to let him know where he was. Tonight’s sign said “Oklahoma City”. Oh Yeah, the buckle on the bible belt of America. Just what he always wanted. To be crucified by a bunch of red-necked Okie’s. Brian realized he was just as prejudiced about some things as everyone else. He did not like Oklahoma. He wanted no part of Oklahoma. Hell, he didn’t even like Country/Western music and here he was in the heartland. Peter had told him things would start turning a little in their favor with the speech Michael would be making tomorrow. Brian could not for the life of him imagine how anything worthwhile could come from Oklahoma but he was too tired to argue with Peter.

He decided since he had managed to move he would get up, undress and get into the bed for a change. He looked at the sign one more time. Thank God for Tracy. Tracy had been an assistant editor at the publishing house that picked up his first novel. He had always gotten along well with her and when he realized about 2 days into this madness that he needed some help, she was the first person he thought of. He’d called her and offered her a job. She asked him when he wanted her to start. She didn’t ask what he wanted, how much he would pay, what was she going to be doing…just when did he need her. He told her he would e-mail her a ticket, to pack her bags and catch a plane. He needed her two days ago. She did and she had been part of their little family ever since. She got along beautifully with Em and Michael. She and Em talked fashion like they had been girlfriends forever. She absolutely adored Michael and mothered him every chance she got which was a little weird since she was several years younger than all of them.

Just because he decided to undress did not mean Brian was going to be neat and tidy about it. He dropped everything on the floor and climbed naked into bed. He thought briefly about his clean pressed pajamas in the drawer but only briefly. Several hours later he awoke to discover someone climbing into his bed. He managed to get one eye open enough to see it was Michael.

“Uh, Michael…this is my bedroom not yours.”

“I know Brian but somehow Em managed to score the bell hop and I can’t sleep with them banging away right next door. Go back to sleep. I won’t bother you.”

Michael settled into the bed with a happy sigh and was out almost before he finished talking. Brian reached over and pulled the blankets up over his candidate’s shoulders and thought to himself that this probably shouldn’t make it into his memoirs about his campaign to elect the first gay president. That was the last thought he had.

The next thing he knew, he was being gently shaken awake by a very amused Tracy. He couldn’t figure out why she was waking him up and he sure as hell couldn’t figure out what was so funny. Well he couldn’t until he realized he was laying flat on his back and a very happy Michael was lying partly across his chest. He had one arm around him and his hand was firmly buried in Michael’s silky black hair.

He looked up at Tracy and said, “This isn’t what you think Tracy.”

She just grinned even bigger and said, “Oh Brian, you have no idea just what I’m thinking right now. Not a clue one. I would ask if you slept well, but it certainly looks as though you did. Your bed partner seems to be well satisfied…with the sleeping arrangements of course.”

Tracy turned and started to leave the room. Brian threw back the covers and gently moved Michael off him. He got up and started after Tracy but when she turned around and whistled he realized he was as naked as the day he was born. Ah Shit!

“God if I had known I was going to have this much fun, I’d have paid you for this job. I’m going to be ordering breakfast so you might want to get yourself ready…to eat that is. You seem to be ready for other things right now.

AH DOUBLE SHIT! Of course, he would wake up with a morning woody and evidently being discovered in bed with a controversial candidate for the president of the United States of America wasn’t causing the woody any problems at all. Well, any day that starts out like this can only get better right???

Michael woke up and sat up just about the time Emmet walked into the bedroom and got a good look at Michael in Brian’s bed and Brian with a hard-on very much in evidence. If this was someone’s idea of things getting better, they certainly had a warped way of looking at the situation.

*****************

The day had gone downhill from its disastrous start. The four of them had breakfast while working which meant four computers researching the hell out of Oklahoma so they could put together a speech addressing Oklahoma issues. They always started by mentioning accomplishments about the city they were in. That was Michael’s rule. You always started with something nice then you slipped sideways into the bad stuff. The bad thing about Oklahoma turned out to be not too many bad things.

Oklahoma had learned its lesson after the bottom fell out of the oil/gas markets in the 80’s. From that point on, it had stopped depending on oil to keep its economy sound and growing. Oklahoma began diversifying; pulling in other business and encouraging small business owners. It had also not experienced the block-buster growth in real estate that had crippled states like California, Nevada and Florida. Oklahoma had kept its real estate market stable with a slow increase in value; no more than 4 to 6 % which meant no housing market crash. Basically, Oklahoma was doing quite well. They were all stumped with where to go in the speech from there until Emmet said, that was great. That would be the crux of the speech; that the rest of the nation could look to states like Oklahoma as a guideline of how to grow responsibly and not leave themselves open to massive downturns like the rest of the nation had experienced. Because of the geographic makeup of the citizens of the state, Michael would get a chance to speak on his two favorite subjects; income tax and the erosion of the middle class. That was assuming he would get to speak at all.

That was the most frustrating part of this whole experience. It didn’t matter how brilliant your speech’s were, how accurate your statistical facts; if you couldn’t get people to listen it was all wasted effort. So far they hadn’t had much success on getting through to the audiences that came to see or rather to boo their candidate. Brian thought for the umpteenth time that Michael had to have more self-esteem than anyone he’d ever met in his life. No matter how badly he was booed or how many filthy names he was called, he didn’t lose his cool or that big beautiful smile of his. At least not in public he didn’t. In the privacy of their rooms, he allowed his disappointment to show.

Brian wondered what the hell Peter had up his sleeve. He had called again to tell them that he had a surprise for tonight’s appearance and that he was pretty sure the audience would listen this time.

**************************

The Ford Center where Michael was scheduled to appear was a 586,000 square foot facility featuring four seating levels and a press level with a maximum seating capacity of 20,817 people. It was the largest venue they had been in so far and it appeared to be standing room only. Brian was amazed and wondered if this meant that many people had come to be in on the lynching. He was waiting back stage with an extremely nervous candidate, an equally nervous candidate’s partner and Tracy who was vibrating with excitement. They had been told they would be announced and then Michael was to walk on stage followed by Emmet and Brian. This had been their usual routine from the beginning and they had no intention of changing it now.

They were astonished to hear a roar come from the crowd that almost shook the rafters. They all looked at each other trying to figure out just what the hell was going on out there. Brian peeked around the curtain and saw a smallish man in jeans and a western shirt wearing a large black Stetson walking on stage with a small attractive red head in a sparkling gown. Tracy looked over his shoulder and began to jump up and down. She was almost squealing like a teen-ager and Brian was sure everyone had gone insane except him and maybe Michael and Emmet. They appeared to be frozen in fear.

The man walked up to the stage microphone and waited for the applause to settle. When the audience finally calmed down he began to talk to them.

“Hey everybody, I’m not your speaker for the evening, I’m Garth Brooks and this here is my beautiful companion and friend Reba McIntyre. We’re here to introduce someone we would really like you to listen to. His name is Michael Novotny and he’s been tearing up the headlines on every newspaper left in these United States. You can’t turn on the TV without hearing about him and he’s all over the internet. Now, unfortunately the only thing you’re hearing is that he’s gay and he’s going to run for the presidency of the United States. And Lord knows there has been a tremendous knee-jerk reaction to that. But what you’re not hearing is that he’s a smart, honest man who is one of the most successful business men in the country. He’s got brains he hasn’t used yet and he doesn’t have anything to gain from putting himself on the line like this. He really thinks he can help get our country back on track.”

Mr. Brooks stopped to take a breath and looked at his friend. She gave him a lovely smile and stepped up to the mike.

“Hi y’all. You know me, I’m just a local home-town girl who’s seen almost every dream I ever had come true but if we don’t do something and do it soon, a lot of up and coming kids are not going to see their dreams because our country is going to be in such a bind that it can’t support the American success story anymore. Now Garth and I have traveled all over this world and we’ve been called a lot of things and y’all know what I’m talking about here; red-necks, Okies, sod-busters. You’ve heard the names, Hell you’ve probably been called them too. But one thing folks can’t deny about Oklahoman’s is their friendliness. Now Garth and I are asking you to step up to the plate and show the world that we aren’t red-neck hillbillies. That we are people who are willing to listen to someone and try to understand their opinions. We’re not asking you to vote for him or anything like that. Your vote is still your most precious possession but we are asking you to just listen to him; listen to his ideas and I’m personally asking you to remember something that my granny used to tell me over and over again; you can hate the sin but as a Christian, you cannot hate the sinner. Forget for one moment Michael’s sexual orientation and just remember to love the sinner and that at least the man is not a mealy-mouthed politician who’s telling you he’s just the most perfect person in the world. If he’s anything he’s honest and that counts for a lot in these trying times. So Garth and I would like you to give a Christian, Oklahoman welcome to Michael Novotny.”

Much to everyone’s amazement the audience politely applauded as Michael walked out on the stage. He shook hands with Garth Brooks and Reba McIntyre and grinned when she kissed him on the cheek and pinched his cheek. She leaned over into the mike and said, “and besides, he’s just the cutest thing I ever saw.”

The whole audience laughed and they laughed even louder when Michael looked after her, rubbed his cheek and said to the audience, “You know, I’m going to be 65 years old and women are still going to be pinching my cheeks. It just never changes.”

For the first time in the four long months of the campaign, Michael actually got to talk to an audience. He started by mentioning how they had researched Oklahoma and the only bad thing they could find was that parking meters were invented here. He went on to tell everyone how impressed they were with the way the state had handled the recession and mortgage market crash and that the so called big, sophisticated states like California, Florida and Nevada could take some lessons from them. Then he talked about the most endangered species in America; the middle class. He reminded his audience that the middle class had fought the wars, manufactured the goods, invented the good stuff and bore the brunt of the out-dated and archaic income tax system. He also reminded them that without the middle class America would become a third class nation of service providers. He got into his favorite topic of what they needed to revive the American middle class and that was jobs. Not just make-work jobs but real jobs in plants making good to sell to themselves and the rest of the world. He talked about putting tariffs on goods coming in from foreign countries and he got an enthusiastic almost standing ovation when he said if a company didn’t employ American workers, did not use American goods in the manufacture of its product and most importantly did not have a factory in America then they weren’t American companies and they didn’t deserve preferential treatment.

When he concluded his talk, Michael thanked everyone for their patience and their attention. He said he would remember Oklahoma with fondness for a long time to come and all he wanted was to try one of their chicken-fried steaks before he left town. He exited the stage to laughs and loud applause.

Tracy pounced on him as he came off stage followed by Brian and Emmet.

“Michael you were wonderful. I didn’t know you knew Garth Brooks and Reba McIntyre.”

“I don’t. I don’t even know who they are but I swear to God they must be angels straight from heaven because they got people to really listen to me and I think they actually liked what I had to say.”

Normally, they would hustle Michael out of the venue and into an armored limo as quickly as possible but they found much to their amazement they had an army of TV reporters from every local channel wanting a few words with the new candidate. It took almost 90 minutes to give everyone a turn at him and they were all wired when they got back to the hotel. Peter had left two calls and Brian picked up the phone to brief him as soon as they were back in their rooms.

He asked Peter what kind of blackmail he had on the two folks who’d introduced him and Peter laughed at him. “Absolutely nothing Brian! Garth and Reba are two of the good ones. They not only talk a Christian attitude, they live it. I’ve been speaking with them for the last few weeks and after they saw some of the video’s of Michael’s previous attempts to talk the issues rather that dish the dirt, they volunteered to introduce him. I just stood back and let the Oklahoma love for their heroes do the trick and Michael did the rest. Was he as good as he appeared in the sound bites?”

“Peter, he was better. He had them eating out of his hand and he managed to pitch his two biggest points; a change in the way taxes are levied and a halt to the hemorrhage of jobs. God it felt so good. Do you want to talk to him or Emmet?”

“Yes please, let me tell them both how pleased we are with their progress.”

First Michael and then Emmet took the phone and spoke with Peter Roca. It was obviously a good, positive conversation for everyone concerned. When Emmet hung-up, he turned to the room and said, “Guess what guys…we have the next two days off to just sleep and rest while Peter and his geeks evaluate the responses to this speech. So Brian, what kind of trouble can we get you into?"


	10. Chapter 10

Eight Months after Announcement

All Emmet could think was ‘half way there’. He was beginning to wonder if they would all live to see the election. He had never in his life known such bone-numbing exhaustion. He wondered about Brian and Michael. Were they as tired as he was? Well, hell, of course they were. They really were all in this together. He thought about the last eight months. The first four months had been hardship, constant danger, always being on their guard against anything and everything. That night in Oklahoma City had proved to be the first turning point. Whatever magic Peter Roca had pulled out of his ass to get those stars to agree to introduce Michael and shame their fans into listening to him had worked.

Michael had been magnificent; funny, sincere, in touch with his audience. He’d said some of what they wanted to hear but mostly what he thought they needed to hear. The two days of rest after that appearance had been the last time Emmet could remember feeling human.

He smiled to himself remembering the wide open terror on Brian’s face when he asked him, ‘what kind of trouble can we get you into.’ Unfortunately or maybe not, they hadn’t been able to inveigle him into anything because Peter Roca had called his wife and told her he was giving her husband a couple of days off due to Gus’ upcoming birthday. Later he told Michael and Emmet that it was true, the days off coincided with Gus’ sixth birthday but they also needed some time to evaluate the responses to Michael’s speech. He felt he could throw Lindsay a bone to ease up on Brian and take care of their research at the same time.

In one way, Emmet was glad. It had given him a short reprieve. He knew his days as ‘the love of Michael’s life’ were limited. He’d known since the moment he’d shaken hands with Brian Kinney in the Foundation’s conference room. He’d felt the spark between the two of them and for one brief second he’d thought maybe this was his ‘chosen one’. That thought only lasted as long as it took for him to realize this was the dark shadow in his thoughts and dreams. This was the man who would take his place in Michael’s heart, his life and his bed.

At the time, he’d prayed the son-of-a-bitch would be worthy of the honor. After sleeping, working and practically living together for the last eight months, he had to admit; Brian Kinney was worthy of his treasure. He didn’t know it yet but he would make Michael’s life complete.

Emmet had watched the courtship dance continue for the last eight months. He’d thought when he walked into Brian’s bedroom months ago and saw a naked, horny Brian with Michael in his bed that they’d given in to the attraction but then he realized this was just a little blip on the radar. He and Tracy had a good laugh at the two of them not to mention blackmail material for days after. He’d managed to hide his secret thoughts from everyone although he did almost lose his composure when Tracy told him about walking in and finding Michael with his head on Brian’s shoulder and Brian’s arm around him. He thought maybe his heart really could break in two.

But Emmet Honeycutt was a realist. No one would ever suspect that about him but he never hid from the facts. He’d known when he met Michael at the age of eight that they would be friends. As their connection grew and grew he began to wonder if maybe they might be more. He’d known long before Michael that he was gay and he’d often wondered about Michael. He sometimes thought he had to be because of the way the smaller boy would touch him or turn to him in moments of stress. When they had their first sexual encounter at the age of fourteen, he knew for sure then. The initial jack-off session had been messy and so satisfying but couldn’t hold a candle to the one that followed and the uncounted ones since then.

As the years passed Emmet had come to realize that as much as he loved Michael and as much as Michael said he loved him, they would never consummate their relationship with a full physical love affair. The knowledge had almost killed him at first but that old saying about what you can’t endure only makes you stronger had turned out to be true.

Emmet had decided to make the most of their time together. He would take every single crumb of affection Michael had to offer knowing that someday Mitch would be faithful to only one man and he would not be that man.

He and Michael had come up with the perfect birthday gift for Gus. They had created a one of a kind version of their game which they called ‘Gus and the Golden Egg’. It had Gus as the star of course and his journey’s started when he discovered a shimmering, golden-green egg in the woods behind his home. He’d been fascinated with the egg and had cared for it and treasured it ever since. When danger threatened the egg, Gus wrapped it up, put it in his back-pack and took off on a series of adventures to protect the egg and take it back to its special hatching spot. The first game ended with the egg hatching a small, golden-green dragon that bonded with Gus the minute it saw him.

They had included two more backdrops that took Gus through the process of caring for and raising the little dragon and then training his dragon to fly and himself to ride his dragon. When Brian gave Gus the gift, it didn’t make much impression at first. After all, give a six year old a black box and a shiny bicycle and two guesses which is going to catch his eye. But that evening at bedtime when Brian plugged in the game and set it up in Gus’ room, true magic occurred. Brian did a 3D scan of Gus and loaded him into the game. Gus was enchanted and enthralled especially when he realized that his daddy was also in the game with him. Michael and Emmet had done a 3D scan of Brian and put him in as Gus’ protector, teacher and advisor. Brian told his son that this game was a way for the two of them to always be together even when he was in another city far away. He would always be right here to protect and care for his boy.

When the two days were over and the intrepid three plus Tracy got back together to hit the road, Brian of his own free will, embraced first Emmet and then Michael and told them he owed them big time. His boy had adored the game and his little friends were green with envy when they saw it. He would be the center of attention for a long time. Even Lindsay had to admit the game had merit. She ruined the compliment by adding she was surprised two ‘gay’ men could actually design something with moral values.

After his two days home, Brian had come to the realization that he was married to a woman he didn’t know and wouldn’t especially like if he met her right now for the first time. He began to ponder his future. He didn’t want to be divorced. He didn’t want to be a week-end father but he also didn’t want Gus growing up subjected to Lindsay’s prejudices and hatreds. He wanted Gus to be independent and learn to accept all people and judge them only on their character and actions, not the color of their skin, or the people they loved or the religion they followed. He’d laughed at himself when he thought this. Evidently Peter Roca and his research were rubbing off on him. They had all been shocked by how badly prejudice and hatred was tearing apart their way of life.

Emmet thought again that those two days had been an eye-opening experience for all of them. The two days off had been the last quiet, down time any of them had. When it was over, it was back to business with a vengeance. Peter had lined up one speaking engagement after another for Michael. Two months later when the news anchors talked about the upcoming election, Michael Novotny’s name was mentioned for the first time as a potential candidate.

After that, things really started moving. Michael said it was like watching a snowball roll down a steep snowy cliff. It just picked up volume and momentum as it went. He was interviewed and stalked and trailed. They had a posse of cameras and microphones everywhere they went. Emmet’s little gadgets were being worked to death and he had his lab back in Pittsburgh making new and improved ones.

Em had no idea what the future held for any of them. He still had his thoughts, his idea’s and every once in a while he would have a dream that left him puzzled. He had no idea if Michael stood a chance of being elected. He did know that the three of them seemed to be locked in some sort of three-way bond. He wondered the first time it happened if it meant they would become a threesome and he felt a small pang of lust at the idea of having both Michael and Brian as a long-term partner. That idea died almost as soon as it raised its evil little head. Brian and Michael would be a committed pair for life. The only way he ever stood a chance with Michael would be if Brian refused to act on the bond between them. He knew for a fact, like he knew the sun rose in the East, that Brian Kinney was not a closet queen. He would only love one man ever and if that love did not come to happen, Brian would either be alone or locked in a loveless marriage forever.

Emmet’s thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing his belt and flipping him over. Before he knew what was happening, his pants were coming off along with his briefs and then he had a naked, horny Michael straddling his body. He looked at his friend with a puzzled expression. “Did we have some sort of date that I’ve forgot about because I was planning on spending my time, what little I have, sleeping?”

Michael was working on his shirt and becoming frustrated. Em knew if he did not get the thing off soon, the buttons would be all over the room and he would be getting another custom made shirt repaired. “Mitch, slow down. Let me sit up and I’ll get the damn thing off. What’s the matter? Are you upset about something?”

Em was sitting up and removing his shirt even as he tried to reassure his partner. He finally got the offending garment off and Michael grabbed it out of his hand and threw it across the room. Well, at least it still had all its buttons.

“No I’m not upset…I’m horny! I’m so frigging sick of this whole thing. Why in the world did you ever make me agree to do this? I want my life back. I want to go to Babylon or The Hanging Gardens. I want to fuck. God Em, I really want to just shove my dick in as many hot asses as I can until I drop where I stand.”

“Mitch, in the first place, I didn’t want to do this either. You were the one who was dead-set on letting the old geezers have their say and in the second place, when have I ever ‘made’ you do something you didn’t want to do? Except for going to the dentist or the doctor that is.”

“I know Em. It’s not your fault. I’m just so damn tired and so sick of all this. These people still can’t see that we can’t keep on acting the way we have for the last two hundred years. We have to change and change now or there won’t be anything left to change. When I lose this damn contest, we are moving away from the US. I don’t know where we’re going to go but we aren’t staying here anymore. I’m just so sick of my own country I don’t know what to say anymore.”

Emmet had by now, gotten both he and Michael straightened around in the bed and under the covers. He looked at the clock. With any luck, they might actually be able to get almost six hours of sleep providing they went to sleep in the next 40 minutes.

“I don’t know Mitch. It seems to me you know exactly what to say and when you don’t, Brian comes up with the words for you. That’s why you’re getting as much attention as you are; because of what you’re saying.”

“Well, I can do without this kind of attention. I’d rather be getting attention for my spectacular ass or my impressive package in a pair of skin tight jeans. This just isn’t any fun anymore.”

“Christ, when was it ever fun?”

“Well, it was sort of fun in the beginning but it’s fast losing its charm.”

“Okay, just calm down. I’ll take care of you and release a little of that tension you’ve developed and maybe we can both get some sleep.”

“Em, I want more than a hand job. Don’t you think it’s time we finally gave in and fucked?”

“NO I DON’T. Not as long as you use the term ‘fucked’ I don’t think it’s time. I don’t want to fuck you Michael and I don’t want to be fucked by you. I want to make love and until that’s what you want too, then you either be satisfied with this or nothing.”

Em did relent a little after they got started. In the face of a Michael in sexual heat it was really hard to resist him and they wound up having mutual oral sex. It was satisfying and fulfilling and Emmet went to sleep thinking again that ‘69’ had to be the best number in the world.

Neither he nor Michael would have been quite so satisfied if they’d know that out in the hall Brian Kinney had slumped down the wall and was just sitting outside their door. He’d had an idea he wanted to pass by Emmet first about their security for the next town. He’d just been stepping out of his door when he saw Michael disappear into Emmet’s room. He thought that was perfect. He could pitch his idea to both of them at once and he was just about to knock on the door when he heard, “No I’m not upset…I’m horny.”

He stopped and just stood there. As the conversation continued and he could hear every single word, he thought to himself that what he was doing was rude and so wrong and yet he couldn’t seem to move away from the door. He was held in place in that hall by the words coming through the door. When he heard Michael telling Emmet he wanted to fuck, he turned and leaned against the wall. As he listened to first Emmet’s answer and then the sounds of passion coming from the room, he slid slowly down the wall. He wished he could stop the pictures in his head.

He imagined the two men together, both bodies gleaming in the moonlight coming in the window. He thought Michael’s fair skin would glow and Emmet would be sort of like honey. Emmet always had a slight golden tint to his skin where Michael was creamy pale. He saw in his mind’s eye their bodies come together, mouths fighting for control, hands running over hard muscles. He imagined their cocks both standing hard and firm rubbing against each other; just begging for some attention. Then he saw one of them turn in the bed and position himself flat on the mattress. That would be Emmet; he would be the one on the bottom. He could see Emmet pull Michael over him and then take his hard erection in his mouth. He imagined the sounds Michael would make as he felt that wonderful wet warmth surround his eager cock. He saw Michael lean over and begin to lick at the head of Em’s penis. He gave himself over to the sounds and sights that were playing in his mind and then he just sat there and listened to the actual sounds.

He had one silly random thought. He bet neither Michael nor Emmet minded swallowing. He wondered if there was room enough for three in those hotel beds. He sat there in the hall on the cold floor for a long time after the sounds ceased in the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting so crazy that Michael is offering Brian a blow-job and Emmet is asking him to arrange an orgy!

_**Ten Months after Announcement  
“He sat there in the hall on the cold floor for a long time after the sounds ceased in the bedroom.”**_  
***************************  
Brian remembered all the times his mother had told him that eavesdroppers never heard anything good. She had been so right. Ever since the night he’d listened outside Emmet’s bedroom he’d been subjected to dreams that ripped his nights apart. He dreamed of hands and mouths and muscles. He dreamed of wild bouts of sex with faceless men and he dreamed of Michael and Emmet. Sometimes they were together and sometimes he was there with them. He dreamed of both of them caressing him with their hands and their mouths. He dreamed of holding one or both of them and he dreamed of cocks.

He woke up in a cold sweat the way he had for the last 8 weeks. He sincerely hoped he never saw another penis in his entire life. Then he realized that was probably the dumbest thing he’d ever thought. He tried desperately to remember making love to Lindsay. He tried to picture her body; the way it looked, the way it felt, the way it smelled. He was coming up a complete blank. It probably didn’t help that the main release Brian had had in months had been his own right hand. He’d had maybe three, no four times with Lindsay in the last 10 months and they had been spoiled for him by her silent distaste of his choice to work for Michael’s election.

Lately it seemed as though she was thawing just a bit; probably because they were beginning to gain importance in the national news. Michael was showing up more and more on national TV and talk shows and wherever Michael went, he and Emmet went too.

Michael and his men were becoming the latest American craze. Reporters were almost insane for a quote or a picture. It didn’t hurt that women, women of all ages, were becoming more and more vocal about the beautiful men running on a ticket of common sense.

Peter and his merry band of researchers were foaming at the mouth over these latest developments. It seems that women had this unique ability to drool over the hot men at the same time they were actually listening to Michael’s ideas for getting the country out of the mess it was in right now. They seemed to compartmentalize their thoughts and the general consensus of opinion was; no one cared that Michael and Emmet were gay and that Brian was married, they would do any or all of them on any given day. But even as they were dreaming about hot sexual encounters most of these same women were able to listen and absorb Michael’s ideas. His support group was growing by leaps and bounds spear-headed by women. It was also amazing how many professional women were in his camp.

Perhaps Brian’s rise in stock with his wife had something to do with a news interview that landed on YouTube and currently had received over 6,000,000 hits. A reporter was interviewing a well-dressed, attractive woman on Wall Street asking her if Michael’s sexual orientation bothered her. Her response was an enthusiastic NO. She said the only thing that bothered her was that it was such a loss for womankind in general because he and his partner Emmet were both gorgeous. The reporter got a little nasty and asked her if she even knew what his platform was. The woman gave the reporter a look that probably prevented him from having children for the next ten years and told him that unlike him, she was perfectly able to have a sexual impulse and maintain some sort of thinking ability at the same time. She then gave the reporter a concise evaluation of Michael’s positions on the IRS, the loss of jobs, Medicare and Welfare. She ended by saying that women would determine the outcome of this election because they were the only people left on this planet who actually seemed to give a damn about its continued existence. She ended by looking directly into the camera and saying, ‘Mrs. Kinney, you better make sure your man is so happy with you he doesn’t have time to look anywhere else because you just blink and you will lose him.”

Brian had noticed a definite thaw in Lindsay’s attitude the next time he was home after the interview was published. Lindsay even offered to give him a blow job but Brian was amazed to realize he didn’t want her to. He also realized that working with Emmet and Michael had given him a gift with words he hadn’t had when he started. He managed to get out of what could have been a sticky situation by telling Lindsay that her doing that for him was so very special that he wanted to be able to enjoy it completely and right then he didn’t think he could stay awake long enough to take off his clothes. Lindsay had given a relieved sigh and helped Brian to bed. She’d undressed him, pulled the covers up, lowered the shades and left him to sleep. He woke up almost 13 hours later to find his son Gus lying next to him in bed just looking at him. When he got the sleep out of his eyes, he and his boy had cuddled and talked for a long, long time. It was the best visit home he’d had, other than Gus’ birthday, since the campaign started.

As the only two women officially connected to Michael’s run, both Tracy and Lindsay were becoming constant targets of the media. It was interesting to note how the press approached them. If you’re a fan of old-time movies then let’s just say that Lindsay was treated like Grace Kelly and Tracy like Rosalind Russell. Lindsay was handled with kid gloves while Tracy was more like a sassy fast-talking professional woman who could hold her own with the men.

Six months into the run, Peter had organized a press conference with selected members of the media and Lindsay. It was held on the beautiful front porch of their gracious Pittsburgh mansion. It was a perfect setting for Lindsay’s blonde beauty and it was going amazingly well until one brash idiot asked her what she thought about her husband working so closely with two gay men. She had fastened her icy blue eyes on the worm in question and then quietly motioned one of the security men over to her side. She told the man to escort that person off her property and not to allow him near her again. The reporter was removed yelling and screaming that they were violating his first amendment rights and that the public had a right to know. Peter spoke up and reminded all the reporters that this was private property, Mrs. Kinney’s home and that they were there by her invitation only. The message came across loud and clear. Do Not Ever Mention Homosexuality in Mrs. Kinney’s Presence!!!

After that, Lindsay’s relationship with the press was on a solid footing and she found herself enjoying the limelight. It seemed that everyone in the world wanted to know about her and her life as the wife of Professor Brian Kinney. Now as I’ve mentioned before, Lindsay was a very smart woman and it didn’t take her long at all to realize that her new found fame was dependent not on her blue blooded background or her wealthy social position but strictly on her status as the wife of Brian Kinney and the mother of his son. Of course, there was also Peter Roca.

Lindsay had resisted any contact with Peter and his Foundation to begin with but after Gus’ birthday party and Peter arranging to stop the campaign for two days to allow Brian time with his family, she had begun to thaw to him. He had made sure she was safe and comfortable every moment Brian was away. He had sent her flowers and rare wines and lovely books for Gus. When Michael began to get favorable notice he started talking to her about what would or could happen if Michael was actually elected. He never came right out and said anything about Brian’s future but he did tease her about picking up roots and moving to Washington DC. Lindsay was beginning to realize the future could be bright indeed.

Tracy wasn’t quite as happy with the new found notoriety. She after all had a job to do and it was becoming more and more demanding every single day. She resented having to take time to get made up and dressed and sit down with the reporters and answer their questions. She didn’t mind talking about the campaign or the issues but she found questions about her make-up routine and how she managed to handle those things specific to a female to be pretty stupid. Her make-up routine was shorter than Emmet’s although thanks to his constant harping at her about her skin care, she was taking a little more time now. But for Tracy, a tinted foundation with a high SPF rating, lip gloss, a swipe of mascara and a light dusting of eye shadow and she was done for the day. Tracy was very fortunate to be one of those women who sailed through a three day cycle every month with no cramps and only minimal bloating. She thought that the three men were a lot more hormonal than she was.

She also hated the way every single reporter tried to get her to say something about the men’s sexual habits. She knew the reporters were dying to know if Michael and Emmet were full fledged sexual partners. She also knew they were panting to know if Brian was cheating on his wife. She had come out of her last interview with a feeling of satisfaction. She’d set those hyena’s back on their heels.

It all came about because of her blow-up after a previous encounter. She’d come back to the hotel in a flaming snit because of the constant pressure to say something about Michael and Emmet. The three men were not used to their calm cool collected Tracy being upset and being men, they weren’t sure what to do with her or for her. Michael got her a glass of water, Emmet sat beside her and held her hand and Brian pushed an ottoman over and picked her feet up and put them on the stool. She railed that she just wanted to tell the bone-pickers that they were ‘really, really good friends with a truly kinky set of benefits’.

After the three stopped laughing, Michael told her the next time the subject came up she was to say exactly that. She just looked at him in complete shock.

“You are kidding right? Surely you don’t want me to say that to news reporters?”

“Hell yes I do. In the first place, it’s the truth and in the second place I’ll bet our stock goes up by a point in the polls because all the gay guys who’ve been holding back because they’re not sure if we’re really gay-gay will suddenly jump on board.”

Tracy had said exactly that and Michael was wrong; his ratings had jumped almost three points. No one was quite sure why but all of a sudden Michael was becoming a contender.

*********************

Brian had been trying to work on Michael’s speech for his next engagement but between his sexual dreams and his thoughts about Lindsay and Tracy, he wasn’t getting very far. Everything stopped dead when a manic Michael breezed into the room and plopped himself down in Brian’s lap.

This was not a new thing. Starting the morning after that night outside Emmet’s door, Michael had become more aggressive. He began to kid Brian constantly about his sexual habits or lack of them. He couldn’t believe that Brian had not experimented with his friends when he was little. Brian had told him he was pretty sure he’d played ‘you show me yours and I’ll show you mine’ but it obviously never made much of an impression on him because he couldn’t remember when or with whom. Most of the time, he managed to keep his cool with Michael but one time he had lost his temper and snapped back that the only hand on his dick had been his own. After that Michael never passed up a chance to kid Brian about giving him a hand job. He insisted that Brian could not say without a doubt that he was straight if he’d never experience an experienced hand-job from someone who knew what the hell they were doing.

He’d started brushing up against Brian and putting his hand on his back, very low on his back. There were reasons why Brian hadn’t said or done anything about this new development. First and foremost was the fact that he was enjoying the sexual teasing and secondly, he was pretty sure that was all it was because he’d caught a couple of glances between Michael and Emmet almost as though they were checking with each other to see if he’d gone too far.

He’d only started sitting on Brian’s lap the last few days however and that was almost too much for Brian. Having Michael leaning into his body and putting his arm around his shoulder brought everything just too close together. And just the thought of Michael’s firm, round ass sitting on top of his dick was almost more than he could stand. Today though, Michael raised the bar again.

“Brian, I’ve decided that you are completely right.”

“Oh you have, have you? What am I so completely right about this time?”

“A simple hand job would never turn a man as handsome and sophisticated as you. You need something more; so I’ve decided that I am more than willing to give you the most spectacular blow-job you’ve ever received in your life and I’ll bet you money when I’m through with you, you won’t give a damn whether the mouth on your dick is wearing lipstick or not.”

Brian looked at Michael for a second and then panicked.

“EMMET…EMMET…COME HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Em came tearing down the hall and almost slid around the door into the sitting room.

“What, what’s the matter? What’s happened?”

“Em, he’s picking on me again.”

Emmet looked at the two men sitting in the one chair. Brian looked confused and Michael had the cutest shit-eating grin on his face.

“Oh shit, you two are going to be the death of me. Michael I’ve told you and told you to stop threatening Brian with a hand-job.”

“I know you have Em and I have stopped. I just told Brian I would never bring up the subject again.”

Emmet looked at the two suspiciously.

“Then what’s the problem now?”

Brian spoke up. “He’s trying to talk me into letting him give me a blow-job. Em, he’s picking on me because I’m straight.”

Emmet thought to himself that Mr. Kinney’s ‘straightness’ was one point that was beginning to be open to debate. Brian may have been complaining about Michael’s harassment but he noticed he hadn’t forced Michael off his lap and he had his left arm draped awfully close to Michael’s waist.

Em shook his head and walked over to them. He reached down and pulled Michael off Brian’s lap and told him to behave or we would send him to his room without dinner or drinks. Michael got up reluctantly and said he would behave for now but he wasn’t finished with the subject. He headed down the hall to his room to get ready for dinner.

Em pulled a chair over to Brian and sat down.

“Brian we have a real problem here.”

“No shit Sherlock. He’s getting more and more difficult to handle and I know he’s taking a lot of his frustration out on you. Em, YOU can’t and I can’t let that happen. I’m afraid he’s going to get so desperate he’s going to hurt you.”

“Why Mr. Kinney, you little devil you. You do notice more than you let on don’t you.”

“Yes I do and I don’t like what I see or what I hear. I know he’s going to your room almost every single night and he’s staying longer and longer. I know you have bruises on your neck and shoulders that you keep trying to hide. I know that some mornings your lips are so swollen and bruised you have trouble eating. Emmet if I’m seeing all that, then you know damn well other people are going to be seeing it too. What can we do?”

“Brian I’m really grateful that you care enough about me to worry but I’ve handled Michael for so many years now. I’m not afraid of him and I don’t think he would actually do me any physical damage.”

“You mean anymore than he already has? When are you going to give in and let him fuck you because that’s the only thing that’s going to calm him down? You know it and I’m beginning to know it. I also know that’s not what you want and I’m scared to death if it ever happens, it will damage your relationship forever.”

Brian suddenly stopped talking. He realized in his fear for Emmet he’d just as good as told him he was eavesdropping on their sexual encounters.He looked up and started to apologize but Emmet reached out and put a finger on his mouth. He reached up and took Emmet’s hand in his.

“Brian, don’t say anything. I’m not angry. I know you are worried about me and Michael and probably the campaign. I’m beginning to worry too. I know I didn’t want this to begin with but the more the three of work together the more I see that we actually could make a difference. If we could get even one or two of our ideas working. God help us, if we get Michael elected, we could make a difference in this tired, old world.”

“Yeah but to get him elected, we have to keep him sane and that’s beginning to look like a full time job. Would it help if we got someone to travel with us just to be his bed partner?”

“Hello…what the hell do you think I am? No, Michael doesn’t need a guy to fuck; he needs many guys to fuck. He’s a strange bird and he’s always been this way. When he gets really upset, he handles it by going on a sexual binge. Brian, I’ve seen him nail eight guys in one evening. It’s almost as thought the more cum he lets loose the more frustrations he gets rid off. No we need an orgy! We need a nice old fashioned orgy.”

“Uh…Emmet. I don’t know how to tell you this but I’ve never been to an orgy much less tried to organize one. I’m pretty sure that’s not in any of Tracy’s job qualifications and besides; remember us…campaign trail…reporters…national coverage of us blowing our noses? How the hell are we going to arrange an orgy AND find enough guys AND keep it completely quiet?”

“Brian sweetie; you take care of the ‘keeping it quiet’ and I’ll take care of the men.”

Emmet got up, leaned over and surprised Brian completely by giving him a very sweet kiss on the lips. He whispered ‘thank you’ and then left a completely confused Brian still sitting in the chair.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between Emmet, Brian and Peter Roca an 'orgy' is arranged. Anything to keep their candidate in line!

_**,“Brian sweetie; you take care of the ‘keeping it quiet’ and I’ll take care of the men.”  
****************_  
Brian sat there for a few minutes after Emmet left the room and thought about what had just happened. He could swear he had just agreed to arrange an orgy; that is he and Emmet were going to get a group of men together with the sole purpose of allowing Michael to lose his sexual frustration in a night of complete debauchery. Yep, he was pretty sure that’s what he had agreed to. The problem was, he’d never in his whole entire, straight, boring little hetero life ever had anything to do with an orgy. The closest he’d ever come was reading about them in his historical research. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? Okay, when in doubt call Peter.

It’s was an indication of how confused Brian was that he thought nothing of calling a reserved, elderly, refined gentlemen to ask for help in finding a quiet, secluded spot where their presidential candidate could, to put it bluntly, fuck an assortment of men. All he could think of was his fear for Emmet, his fear of his own feelings towards Michael and what would happen if word of this ever got out to anyone. Oh crap, this sure as hell was not going in his formal memoirs. Maybe a secret diary to be published years after everyone concerned was dead and gone.

Brian had Peter on speed dial so it only took one number and he had his calm voice in his ear asking him what he needed. Brian stammered and stuttered like a 10 year old being called in the principal’s office but he finally managed to get his story across to Peter. There was complete silence on the other end of the line and then Peter asked him to excuse him for just a second. Brian was almost certain he could hear the sounds of strangled laughter but when Peter came back on the line, he was calm and collected as always.

“Now it seems to me you need a house; a very special house. It must be completely secluded and in an area that no one would ever associate with any type of unusual behavior.”

Brian thought to himself that only Peter Roca would refer to a prospective orgy as ‘unusual behavior’.

“How soon do you need this Brian?”

“As soon as possible. Michael is on a really short leash. He’s trying so hard to control himself but if he doesn’t get some release soon, I’m afraid he may defect and I’d hate to see this all go away after we’ve worked so damn hard and made such good strides forward. ”

“What about prospective partners? You do realize you need to proceed with the utmost caution and discretion in this matter?”

“Oh believe me Peter; caution and discretion is becoming my middle name. Emmet says he can take care of the men and he knows as well as you and I how important secrecy is for everyone concerned.”

They agreed that Peter would immediately begin working on a suitable location and Brian was to work with Emmet on selecting men who would keep their secrets and not use this as blackmail against their candidate. When they hung up, Brian took the first real breath he’d had since Michael had first come in and sat in his lap. Speaking of which, where was the spoiled brat right now and where had Emmet disappeared to. Brian decided he’d better go check up on his wandering friends.

He found them in Michael’s room. They were lying in Michael’s bed. Emmet was on his back and Michael was curled up on his chest being held tightly in his partner’s arms. Brian felt the old pull to join them but knew he was the odd man out in this situation. He started to turn and leave but Emmet called his name. He turned and saw both men looking at him. Michael reached out his hand and just held it towards Brian. He found himself slowly walking towards the bed. He sat down on the edge and reached out and took Michael’s hand. He felt Michael curl his fingers around his hand just like Gus did. Michael looked at him with those big sad eyes of his and said quietly, “I’m so sorry Brian. I’m trying, I’m really really trying. I don’t mean to put you in an uncomfortable position but sometimes the demons just get out of control and I want everyone to hurt like I do.”

Without even thinking about it, Brian reached out and smoothed the silky black hair off Michael’s forehead. He began to run his fingers through his hair in the same way he did for Gus when he was scared or feeling sick.

“I know Michael. I do know and so does Emmet. We’re going to see if we can figure something out for you. Please just try to hold on for a little while longer. Can you do that for us?”

Michael pulled on the hand holding his and pulled Brian down so he was lying face to face with him. Both men were using Emmet for a pillow. Michael let loose of his hand and put his arm around Brian’s shoulders and just held him.

“I’ll try. I promise I’ll try as hard as I can. Just don’t hate me and don’t leave us. We need you. Peter knew what he was doing when he fixed the three of us up together. We make a winning team and we can’t do this without all three of us sticking together.”

Brian looked up at Emmet. He was smiling at Michael with his usual expression of love on his face. His eyes locked with Brian’s and a silent message went between the two men. Brian dropped all his defenses and let Emmet see the confusion, the need, the desire and the fear that he had been feeling for months now. Emmet put his arm around Brian also and the three men just lay there; silent and yet more together than they had ever been before.

*******************

Things quieted down for a while and Emmet began a series of telephone calls that seemed to take up all his time. Every once in a while, Brian would ask if there was anything he could do to help but Emmet assured him he had everything under control. It was just a delicate situation and he had to make sure he made the right selections and that everyone understood the need for complete secrecy AND exactly what he was asking of them.

Two days after their initial conversation, Peter Roca told Brian he had everything ready. They would be in Chicago in two days. If Emmet could complete his arrangements, Peter had the perfect place for them AND more important, he could arrange for a three day break in appearances. Brian went to talk to Emmet. Emmet said that was cutting it a bit thin but he was pretty sure he would be ready. Then he disappeared back into his room to call everyone he’d already called with the time and place. Somehow, the earth moved, mountains crumbled and everything was arranged for three days from then in Chicago. Brian could feel Michael vibrating with eagerness every time he came near him. He still hadn’t decided whether he was going to be at the house with Emmet and Michael or whether he was going to stay in the hotel. He thought briefly about going home but discarded the idea because he knew the minute reporters got wind that he was in Pittsburgh the questions would start about where were Emmet and Michael. He didn’t think he could stand being at the hidden rendezvous and yet he also wasn’t sure he could stand not seeing what would happen.

*************

Brian wondered again just how rich and powerful was Peter Roca? In just three days time, he’d arranged for 12 men to be flown to Chicago from all over the country. A large group of them had come from Pittsburgh but they all came at different times. He’d arranged transportation, the house, food, maid service and security. It was all ready and he’d even arranged for doubles for Michael, Emmet and Brian. The three stand-ins were back at their hotel pretending to be them under the careful watch of Tracy who was in on the secret with the rest of them.

Ever practical Tracy had somehow arranged for the purchase of more condoms and assorted lube than Brian had ever imagined existed on the planet. She said someone had to think of the practical aspects of the situation and she was just the girl to do so. Everything was ready; everyone was at the house and their car was driving up into the driveway.

The house was lovely from the outside; very secluded and set well back from the street on a cul-de-sac in a quiet upscale neighborhood. The way the house was situated, once a car entered the cul-de-sac plantings made it almost impossible to see which house was the final destination. When a car pulled up into the driveway, the people were complete hidden from the street. It was perfect.

As the three men entered the front door, Brian realized the inside of the house was perfect also. It was beautifully furnished with extremely comfortable furniture. There was a large buffet table at one end of a great room that was almost collapsing under the weight of food laid out for their pleasure. There was another beautiful old sideboard next to the table functioning as an open bar with an assortment of drinks that would make any bar proud to show them off. The room was full of attractive men. There seemed to be dozen’s of them all though after Brian calmed down a little, he realized there were actually only twelve. When Michael entered everyone turned and hollered his name and Emmet’s and they were surrounded by their friends. It took Brian a moment to realize that they were their friends and everyone knew everyone else; except him of course. For some reason, he’d thought Emmet would be assembling a group of male prostitutes; high class of course but still male hookers. He never thought of a situation like this. Michael was drawn into the middle of the bunch of men and Emmet sort of hung back a little with Brian. He asked Brian if he was going to stay for a while and Brian found himself saying yes before he even realized he did it.

Emmet asked him if he was hungry and he said he was but he would really like a good stiff drink right then. Em laughed at him and told him liquid courage was almost as good as the real thing. He went over to the bar and fixed drinks for both of them. Brian found himself being approached by a huge, well built man.

The man stuck out his hand and said, “I’m Benjamin Bruckner. You are obviously Brian Kinney.”

Brian shook his hand and said, yes he was Brian.

“I’ve been following the campaign very closely; obviously because of Michael but also because I’m a long time fan of yours. I read your first book and was really impressed by the thought and the work you put into it. I’ve read your other ones and you are that rare thing; a writer who is just as good on the second and third book as the first. By the way, I’m a lawyer. I know you don’t know any of us and together we can be a little over-whelming so would you like me to give you a brief intro to all the rest of the guys?”

Brian said he would appreciate that very much.

“Okay, that other big guy over there is Drew Boyd. He’s a sports announcer for ESPN. Very famous, very much in the closet. He’s one of Michael’s old lovers. The young slim blonde man talking to Emmet is Blake Wyzecki. Blake is a music producer with Motown records. He’s also in the closet. Most of the men here are not out about their sexuality which is why you have nothing to worry about as far as anyone ratting you out. Not that anyone would. One of the oddest things about both Michael and Emmet is that even when the affair is over, we all still love each other. I don’t think there is a hard feeling in the group with the possible exception of that one over there.

That’s David Cameron. David is one of Emmet’s past lovers and I know he’s still carrying a torch for him big time.”

Brian couldn’t resist asking what broke them up.

“He got too serious too fast. Em loved him and I think secretly he still has feelings for him but Em and Michael are a matched set. If you want one, you have to take them both. Now almost every man in this room knows this and to be blunt about it, most of us have been lovers with both of them off and on ever since we met. But David wanted exclusive rights and that just doesn’t happen with those two.”

Ben continued his brief histories of the men in the room. There was Ted Schmidt, a stockbroker, Justin Taylor, a rising young musician, Todd Wilkins a club owner in Pittsburgh, Bobby Ellison another lawyer, Robbie Burns, a doctor, Jeff Williams, a dancer at Todd’s club, Blair Sinclair, a pharmacist and Conner James, an actor.

They were all gay, most of them were not out in public and they were all at the worst nice looking and at the best downright spectacular.

Brian was about to ask Ben which of the two men he’d been with when Emmet walked up to them with his drink.

“Ben, I need a big favor from you.”

Ben leaned over and gave Em a kiss on the lips. “What do you need babe? You know you only have to ask?”

“Michael is in really bad shape and I’m afraid that he may not be able to control himself until he’s gotten some of his excess energy worked off. Now you and Drew are the only guys in this room who are big enough and strong enough to handle him when he’s in full heat. Would you mind being the sacrificial cow to get things started and clue Drew in so he knows to take over when you’re worn out.”

“Oh you think the little man is going to wear me out huh?”

“Ben, I know first-hand how good you are BUT you have never had to deal with Michael when he’s in a state like this. Trust me, he’s so damn horny right now, I think if you hung a jock strap on a door knob he’d try to fuck the keyhole. And believe me, he’s going to be the one doing the fucking for a while. After he gets the edge off, he will be willing to change positions but right now he desperately needs to be in control.”

Ben just smiled at Emmet and said he loved doing favors like that for someone he loved as much as he loved Em. He gave Em another kiss, waved good-by to Brian and headed for Drew Boyd. Brian watched him pull him aside and talk to him for a few minutes. Drew got a shocked look on his face but then he smiled and nodded at Ben. Ben smiled back at him and pulled him over to Michael. The next thing Brian knew, they had culled Michael from the herd and had him over in a corner on a large comfy chaise and that was sort of the opening bell.

Brian turned to Em and said, “Has everyone here had sex with everyone here?”

“Pretty much yeah. Drew is new to the scene. Ben is his lawyer and he’s been trying to get him used to the gay scene in Pittsburgh. I think Drew would still be deep in the closet even from himself if he hadn't met Michael. One look in those big brown eyes and he was a goner. Drew is scared to death but he’s also realizing that he can’t change his basic nature and as long as he keeps trying to act straight he’s only going to hurt himself and anyone he uses as a beard.”

“Ben tells me David Cameron is your ex and maybe you still have feelings for him?”

“I probably do but it won’t work. David is a control freak and I can’t handle that.”

Just then, Todd came over and put his arms around Emmet.

“God I’ve missed seeing that fantastic ass of yours on the dance floor at The Gardens Em. We need you two back in the Pitts. Are you really going to desert us for the glories of Washington DC?”

“I don’t know Todd. We’ve gotten a hell of a lot further than we ever thought we would. We do have a shot at it. At least when we’re through the boardroom boys will know they’ve been in a fight.”

Brian realized from the way the two men were looking at each other that Emmet had been without just as long as Michael had so he waved them away, went over to the buffet and fixed himself a plate, got himself another large drink and retired to a chair in a deep alcove where he could watch but not be noticed.

He could not believe that he, Brian Kinney, WASP, college professor, married man with son was actually sitting in a hidden house in Chicago watching 14 men engage in a sexual orgy. But that was exactly what he was doing. He wondered why he wasn’t more aroused and then he found his gaze zeroing in on Michael. He felt a stirring in his crotch and he realized he wasn’t interested in any of the men there except for Michael. Then he saw Emmet leading Todd out of the room with a firm grip on his dick. He felt another little twinge and he knew he still had a little bit of feeling for Em also but nothing like the wave of desire that swept over him when he watched Michael.

Michael was so far into his own little world, he didn’t even think about taking his action somewhere private. He had been almost savage in his assault on Ben Bruckner. Brian realized how well Emmet knew his boy when he saw him pounding away at the larger man. When he’d first seen them together he’d thought briefly that it was like watching a Jack Russell terrier try to mount a Great Dane but then he’d watched Michael peel Ben’s pants off and put him on his back with no effort at all. When he handed a condom to Ben Brian could almost hear him command him to put it on him. Ben sheathed his erect cock in the rubber and then pulled Michael down into a passionate kiss.

Drew was there sharing the experience with them calmly waiting his turn. He was caressing Michael’s buttocks and rubbing one finger between his cheeks as Michael took his position between Ben’s powerful thighs. Michael managed to hold on to his control enough to not just ram into Ben but he did enter in one stroke then waited until Ben nodded his head for him to continue. The sex was fast and furious and smoking hot. Michael couldn’t seem to get in far enough and Brian could hear Ben urging him to go deeper and faster. Michael was more than willing to give him everything he was asking for and more. He pounded into Ben’s huge body with a force that could have hurt a smaller man pretty bad. Somewhere during the session he turned his head towards Drew and pulled him into a kiss. He whispered something to Drew that had him licking his lips in anticipation. Brian could tell when Ben hit his orgasm. His whole body arched off the chaise and he grasped Michael’s hips so hard he left fingerprints. He collapsed in a boneless pile while Michael took a few more pumps and then froze deep in Ben’s body. He fell forward onto Ben’s chest and into his arms. Drew continued to rub his back and buttocks and pushed his hair off his forehead. The three men lay together for a few more minutes and them much to Brian’s amazement, Michael drew out of Ben’s body and stood up.

He removed the used condom from his still erect penis and asked Drew to put on a fresh one. He began to caress Drew’s body and use his mouth on his nipples and that’s when Brian realized he could not watch anymore. It was bringing too many feelings to the surface that he was not ready to handle just yet. He quietly rose and set his plate and glass on a side table and went to the small foyer. He called his driver and told him he was ready to return to the hotel. He waited inside until someone came to the door, presented the correct credentials and then he left under the usual guard. He hoped the house would hide all the secrets it discovered that night. He wished he hadn’t stayed and yet he knew he could not have left for anything. He also knew he would remember Michael for a long, long time; triumphant and in charge, his penis erect and glistening in the light. He managed to hold the tears in until he was safely in his room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four of Michael and Emmet's former lovers join the campaign and Brian is not happy about the situation.

_**Two weeks after Chicago…Ten months after the Announcement…Six months to Election Day** _

There were a few new faces around. Several of the men involved in the summit meeting in Chicago (Brian’s public name for the secret orgy) were now openly assisting in the campaign. Drew Boyd, Ben Bruckner, Justin Taylor and Conner James were all actively and openly working for Michael. The rest of the men who had participated were supporting him with money and moral support. They had all endorsed him but were unable to work on his campaign due to personal or professional commitments.

The big four had announced their support on Jon Stewart’s show. He had asked them if they were afraid of being labeled as ‘gay’ because they were endorsing the ‘gay’ candidate. The four of them looked at each other and then laughed out loud. Ben answered for all of them.

“Jon with the mess our country is in right now if that’s all folks can talk about so be it. The four of us are all friends. Drew is my client and I met Justin through another friend who manages talent in New York. Of course, everyone knows Conner James. When we met at a fund raiser, we found we all got along well together and we’ve been fairly close ever since. We found ourselves together at another fund-raiser last month and while we were catching up, Justin asked if we’d caught any of Michael’s appearances. We all know Michael; I’m based in Pittsburgh so I run into him and Emmet a lot. We started talking and we found we were in agreement with almost every single thing he was saying. We decided the time had come to put our money and our principles to work and try to get someone in office who actually makes sense.”

Jon looked a little skeptical.

“Conner, aren’t you worried about the effect endorsing a ‘gay’ candidate will have on your career?”

“You know Jon; Justin, Drew and I all work in the entertainment industry and God knows that’s one industry that is full of homosexuals both male and female. I’m willing to bet all of us have worked closely with someone who is a lot gayer than Michael. We’re used to it and because of that, we’ve learned that gay men and women are just exactly like straight men and women. They are smart and dumb and talented and complete screw-ups.

I’ve been hit on by gay men on and off the set. I never took it as an insult and I’ve never been pressured. All it took was a ‘sorry, not interested’ and they backed off. If everyone is so hung up on Michael and Emmet’s sexuality that they can’t realize how much sense they make when they talk, then those folks deserve everything that happens to them in the future. We are all responsible for our little piece of this planet. If we don’t start taking care of it we will all reap the after effects. The four of us care about our country and we think Michael Novotny is just what this country needs and we’re willing to stand up and say so.”

Justin took over at that point.

“We’re not just saying we think you should vote for Michael, we’re saying that we’re willing to put our money and efforts where our mouth is. We’re available for anything Michael’s people need of us. We’ll do public appearances, raise funds, make speeches, stuff envelopes…you name it. It’s time that the American people took the whole political ball of wax away from the politicians and brought it right back where it was meant to be in the first place; in our hands.”

Drew got the last word.

“So what do you say, Michael, Emmet, Brian…can we work for you? Just call us; you’ve got our numbers.”

Michael called in to the program before it left the air and within hours, the four men were on their way to join the traveling road show.

Believe me folks, if you think the media was rabid before, now they were almost out of control. It was bad enough when ‘Michael and his Men’ were just Michael, Emmet and Brian. Now that these four new men were added to the mix, it was pure pandemonium everywhere they went.

It was also wrecking havoc with Brian’s self control. He had been on a thin edge ever since ‘the summit’. When he came back to the hotel, he found Peter had secured another room for him because of the ‘stand-ins’ in their usual suite. He proceeded to use the down time to get drunk as a skunk. Brian didn’t often get drunk. He didn’t like losing control and when he was drunk he was completely out of control. But Jim Beam was the only way he could get the picture of Michael and Ben and Drew out of his head. When he drank himself into oblivion, the sights and the sounds went away. He managed to sober up before Michael and Emmet returned to the hotel and dismissed the ‘stand-ins’. He found that during the day when he was working at full speed, he was able to keep the visuals to a minimum. It was when he was alone that he was confronted on all sides by images that he didn’t want to see.

He was surprised but pleased to see that Michael was completely different when he returned. He was relaxed, in control, ready to do anything asked of him. When the two men walked into the sitting room that first morning, Brian was already at the table drinking a cup of coffee and trying to keep his shaking hands concealed. Michael walked over, bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you. I know how hard that must have been for you and I can’t believe that you actually did that for me. I won’t forget it and I won’t let you down. I’m good now until the end.”

Emmet had just grinned at him and told him to stop hogging the newspaper. Later, he’d walked over to Brian and gave him a big hug.

“Everything Michael said goes double for me. I know that went against every single last bit of good judgment you had but it was necessary and the fact that you could realize it and make it happen lets me know that you have Michael’s best interests at heart.”

It was just days later that the four men were officially part of Michael’s team. Peter Roca was very upset and talked at length with the three of them. He made it very plain that he did not intend to support a traveling harem for Michael. He understood the necessity of the ‘Chicago affair’ (his name for the orgy) but he had understood that to be a one-time happening. He felt that having the four men with them day and night was just asking for trouble. Somehow, some reporter or paparazzi would get the goods on them and then all their hard work would be right down the drain. Both Michael and Emmet assured Peter they would be discreet and that their friends really wanted to help get Michael elected not bedded.

Peter was not convinced and it took a meeting with the four new recruits and the three core members before he reluctantly agreed to them joining the team. He didn’t threaten but he did impress on Michael and Emmet that there would be dire consequences if there was even a hint of impropriety regarding them and their four friends. He left to go back to Washington with a reluctance that spoke volumes about his apprehension about these new developments. Brian was not convinced and not happy. He remembered the look on Ben’s face and Drew’s when they were with Michael. He was willing to bet there would be ‘impropriety’ in large amounts.

The first few weeks were amazingly productive. Having four more gorgeous and famous men around made Michael even more attractive to the media. His appearances were covered like a visit from royalty. Thanks to Emmet’s flair for the dramatic, just walking on to a stage was a photo event. He had rehearsed them when it was just the three of them and now that he had four more very attractive bodies to play with, he was in his element. Michael always entered first by himself. Then Brian and Emmet walked in together. Now he added the four men with Drew and Ben in the middle because of their size. When they got front and center stage it was an impressive sight. Because of his height, Michael always stood out against his taller companions. Ben and Drew were just enough taller than Brian and Emmet that they showed behind them and then Conner and Justin were just to the side of Michael. The ‘Novotny Pyramid’ made the cover of every newspaper still operating in the US. They showed up on magazines and received constant hits on the Internet.

Brian was even more on edge now. He not only had the images from the ‘summit meeting’ to contend with; now he was plagued by thoughts of men prowling the corridors of every hotel they stayed at. He imagined them moving from bedroom to bedroom and he was constantly trying to catch them in the act but they were just too quick for him. He began to question the ‘Chicago four’ about everything they did and said. He found fault in almost everything and anything connected to them. The tension was beginning to get to all of them when Emmet stepped in. After one especially contentious exchange between Brian and Ben about Ben’s constant (in Brian’s mind) touching of Michael, Emmet grabbed Brian and dragged him off to his bedroom. He backed him up against a wall and demanded to know what the hell he thought he was doing.

“I’m trying to keep everything from going to hell in a hand basket, that’s what I’m doing Em. Ben has his hands all over Michael and it’s going to make the papers any minute now and that will be the end of everything. We’ll be lucky if Peter Roca and his merry men don’t have us drawn and quartered.”

“In the first place, he doesn’t have his hands all over Michael. You and I touch Michael a lot more than the guys…what the hell is it you call them…oh yeah…the ‘Chicago Four’ ever do. You take him by the arm every single time we walk off the stage and I’m always forgetting and putting my arm around him when we have our photo’s taken which is usually every 3 minutes or so.”

“Yeah but the press is used to you touching him in an intimate manner. Hell, most of them think the two of you are hot and heavy under the covers every night anyway. Wouldn’t they be surprised to learn the truth?”

“And just what do you think the truth is Brian?”

“Christ, between the two of you you’re probably having an orgy every fuckin’ night somewhere in whatever hotel we’re in.”

“You really do have a high opinion of us don’t you. I guess I was pretty stupid to think you could actually understand how Michael and I feel. After all you’re straight. You’re just so fuckin’ straight you couldn’t possibly know what it’s like to ache for the touch of a man’s hand on your body…or can you?”

“What do you mean Em? Of course I don’t know about that but it can’t be any different than missing my wife.”

“Do you Brian…do you miss your wife? I haven’t heard you call her for some time now although you talk with Gus every single day. Just how much do you miss your wife’s touch? Do you ache for her hands on your cock? Do you fantasize about sinking into her nice, warm, wet pussy? Do you think about the way she arches her body under you when you’re pounding away in her?”

“Just shut up Em. What I think about my wife is none of your business. She’s my wife not something for you to have sexual fantasies about.”

“Oh don’t worry Brian. I never have sexual fantasies about Lindsay. Neither do you.”

“What the hell do you mean?”

“I mean it’s time you stopped dancing around the subject and admitted to both of us that your fantasies are all about Mitch. He’s who you dream about. He’s the one you imagine under you, around you, even inside you. You’re eat up with jealousy because you think Drew or Ben or Justin or Conner are getting what you want every single night. You imagine the five of them or is it the six of us in bed together, a tangle of arms and legs. Cocks everywhere; in asses, in mouths, being stroked by eager hands. You imagine oceans of lube being used up every night in bouts of fucking that you can only dream about because you’re too fuckin scared to admit you want a man.”

Brian had been backing away from Emmet as he talked and he wound up with his back against the wall of his bedroom with Emmet standing so close to him, he could feel his breath on his mouth when he talked.

“Well guess what Brian? It’s time for you to put up or shut up.”

Emmet reached out and pulled Brian to him and fastened his lips over his. He held his face in his hands and kissed him with everything he had. Brian tried to fight him off but he was oddly reluctant to hurt Em and he didn’t want’ anyone to come in and discover them in this position. He tried to get away but Emmet was a lot stronger than he looked. He continued to hold Brian firmly and the kiss deepened until his tongue was inside stroking the roof of his mouth. Brian felt his stomach do a funny sort of flip flop and then without even realizing it, he was kissing back. Neither man knew how long they stood there joined together at the lips while their bodies fought to get closer and closer. Finally, Em broke their connection. He smiled at Brian.

“I’m not even the man you want and just look at you. Your cock is hard and ready. I’ll bet it’s wet and dripping just from that kiss. Do you still want to try and tell me you aren’t having thoughts about what it will be like to make love to a man?”

Brian just shook his head and tried to get away from Emmet who was holding him flat against the wall.

“I can’t Em. I’ve got a wife and a son to think about. I can’t throw my whole life away on some stupid whim.”

“Oh believe me baby, it’s more than just a whim. You’ve got the hots for Mitch. Maybe even a little twinge of curiosity about me. It’s been there since the moment we met in the Foundation conference room. You felt the connection when our hands touched and it was even stronger when you shook hands with Mitch. You know there’s something there but you don’t have the balls to admit it not even to yourself. I ought to take you to bed and fuck your brains out just to satisfy your curiosity and get you back on track. But contrary to belief, I don’t fuck friends unless the feeling is completely mutual and it has to be a hell of a lot more than just a fuck.”

He backed away from Brian with one last lingering kiss and a caress of his groin. He moved back and sat down on Brian’s bed.

“Here’s the truth and you better believe it because I don’t lie and I don’t like having people think I’m lying to them. Michael is still coming to my room at least three and sometimes four times a week. I’m sure he’s spending a night or two with the others because I certainly am. But the guys are just as firmly devoted to the idea of Michael’s candidacy as you and I are and they are beyond careful. The girl who’s been traveling with Conner really is his old high-school sweetheart. Of course no one knows that she’s a Lesbo because she’s not out either. Her steady is traveling with the press pool attached to our campaign so every night when she and Conner disappear into his suite; he slips through the connecting door into whoever happens to be next to them. He’s spending his nights with Ben or Drew or Justin and only occasionally with me or Mitch. Everyone is so fuckin’ discrete about the whole thing that I don’t think even they know who’s gonna be fuckin who on any given night. This is the absolute truth. You better believe me because I’m only gonna say this one time. Yes Michael is sleeping with the four of them but it’s not the flaming sex circus you seem to think is going on. It’s only when he needs release from the pressures that are constantly being heaped on him.”

Brian hung his head and thought for a moment. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d though it was but it still hurt that Michael was getting pleasure from everyone in the world except him. He snickered to himself at that little thought. What made him think Michael would want anything to do with him? Michael was an experienced gay man who’d had years to come to grips with his sexual needs and desires and Brian hadn’t a clue what the hell he was. He knew he didn’t know the first thing about pleasing a man in or out of bed. He got along fine with women because he’d been exposed to the whole male/female sexual experience his whole life. He knew that sex with a man was so very different than with a woman. He’d learned that much from traveling with Michael and Emmet and God knows he’d certainly had his eyes opened in Chicago.

He looked up at Emmet who was still quietly sitting on his bed watching him.

“I’ll try Em. I really will try and thank you for telling me the truth whether I wanted to hear it or not.”

“You’re welcome sweetie and I have one last suggestion for you.”

“What’s that?”

“For Christ’s sake, talk to Michael. You might be surprised at the response you get.”

Brian was shaking his head before Em finished speaking. “No, I can’t do that. I can’t just change everything about myself and don’t forget...we’re still in the public eye. I can’t do anything to jeopardize our chances now.”

“Okay but keep on acting like you have been and you’re going to make some enemies that we really don’t need right now.”

Brian realized Emmet was so right about that so when they joined the others back in the sitting room, he took a deep breath and apologized to Ben and Drew. He said Em had pointed out to him that he was being paranoid and he was sorry if he seemed to act as though they didn’t appreciate everything the four men were doing by openly joining their campaign and going on the trail with them. He promised to lighten up and do better.

Things settled down for the next few weeks and he was even able to get some sleep once in a while. Then all hell broke loose.

************

It was official; Michael was a full-fledged contender for the Presidency of the United States of America. He had been invited to join in a debate between the top two contenders for the Republican Nomination, the top two contenders for the Democratic Nomination and the one other Independent running. They had just received the rules from CBS for the program. Everyone involved in the campaign was moving into high gear. The debates would be held in Dallas, Texas and they had a lot of work to do in the next four days. They all believed this would be a major turning point for them. They had no idea just how right they were.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dallas has always been a political hotbed and it's no different for Michael and his group. Things come to a head in a way no one ever expected.

People who study the paranormal believe that places can be evil just like people. If that’s so then Dallas must have a few demons hanging around. After all, it was the scene of violence long before a president got his head blown off in 1963.

************

Brian thought it he’d handled just about every situation in the world during his time with the Michael Novotny candidacy. He was wrong. This one had to take the cake. He had a panic stricken Emmet Honeycutt on his hands and he was not used to this.

Everything seemed to be just fine. They had got the invite for the debate. They’d had the obligatory celebration. They had worked their asses off, all seven of them. Tracy was not included in that count because poor Tracy always worked her ass off so this was just another day at the office for her. The eight people actively engaged in the campaign had almost buried themselves in laptops and printouts while they tried to anticipate every single thing Michael could or would be asked. Tracy gave them all a huge laugh when she asked Michael how much a loaf of bread cost. He of course had no idea so she showed them some clips of a poor schmuck in previous years who had been crucified because of his lack of knowledge about how every day people lived in the United States. Michael spent an intense four hours with Tracy learning everything from the cost of a loaf of bread to the price of rice, beans and eggs.

The time passed way too fast and long before Brian or Peter thought they were ready it was time to go. Just the logistics of trying to transport 7 men and 1 woman and their personal belongings were getting to be a nightmare. When you considered that everything had to be done under the most extreme security, it was more than a nightmare. It was one of those things that made everyone considered almost paralyzed until they were safely aboard the Foundations private jet and in the air. Then they relaxed and partied. Everything was still just fine at that point. The jet’s crew were not only used to Michael and his men, they were also fanatically loyal to Peter Roca and the principles of the Foundation and they could not be bribed or bought. God knows enough folks had tried in the last 10 months.

As they got closer and closer to Dallas the trouble started. Emmet was only a little perturbed at first but as the minutes and the miles passed, he got more and more agitated. When they crossed the border into Texas he was almost a basket case. He kept begging them to turn around and go back. Something terrible was going to happen in Dallas. They could not go there. They had to go back to Washington or to Pittsburgh or Timbuktu; he didn’t care where they went just so long as they didn’t go to Dallas. Brian tried to calm him but when he just became more and more upset he called Michael back to their seat. Michael tried everything. Finally he crawled into Emmet’s lap and held him tightly while reassuring him over and over again that everything would be all right. He would be very careful. He would not move a muscle without every single security guard they had. He even called Peter Roca in Emmet’s hearing and told him that Emmet was concerned and could he assign them a few more guards to keep his partner from worrying.

Now you would think under the circumstances that everyone would just assume Emmet was being a drama queen; after all, no one could do it better than him. However everyone on that place with the possible exception of the crew had been exposed at one time or another to Emmet’s ‘thoughts’ as he called them. He had an uncanny skill in pin-pointing things that could happen; both bad and good. From the way he was acting right now, this one had to be bad…BIG BIG BAD.

By the time they arrived at DFW, they had Emmet sort of calmed down. Peter had his pilot break out the good stuff and after two Quaalude’s and a good stiff belt of Scotch which Emmet swallowed in one gulp (he hated Scotch)he was able to walk with a little assistance without shaking and clutching at whoever happened to be near.

Sure enough, in the time they had been talking on the phone Peter had arranged for an additional detail of six men who were waiting for them when they arrived. So were what looked like every single reporter on the face of the earth and most of the citizens of Dallas, Texas. It was hard for Michael’s usual entrance when deplaning. The narrow stairs meant that they all had to exit single file but before Michael was allowed to get off the plane, the biggest man Brian had ever seen in his life walked onto the plane and said he would be walking in front of Mr. Novotny until they had him safely off the plane and in the center of his detail. He asked if anyone else wanted him to shield them. Ben asked him what made him risk his life by shielding someone he didn’t even know. He smiled and opened his jacket and showed them a vest they assumed was Kevlar. He assured them it was better than Kevlar and it went all the way down under his belt so he even had the family jewels under wraps. Everyone laughed at that and it made the descent much easier for everyone. They made one change in their usual arrangement. Brian exited after Michael and Emmet was so close to him, he could keep one hand firmly fastened in Brian’s suit jacket. Drew came after Emmet and he was also hanging on to Emmet’s jacket and making sure he didn’t trip and managed to stay upright.

They had followed their usual security measures by moving the jet inside the hanger before they opened the door. When they had everyone off the plane, the guards formed a ring around the seven men and moved them outside and on to the tarmac where the press were not so patiently waiting. Naturally the very first question was yelled in a loud Texas accent.

“Hey Michael, what’s with the security? You scared of a little Texas hospitality?”

Everyone including Michael laughed and Michael yelled back at the reporter.

“Not really. Are you offering the hospitality? I sort of had my heart set on a real Texas Cowboy but I could substitute a Texas reporter if I had to.”

There was even more laughter at his fast comeback and the rest of the interview went even better than they had hoped. They moved out of the airport under very heavy guard after moving everyone back into the hanger along with several identical black limos. They were all loaded into the limos inside where no one could see who was in which car. Because the back windows were heavily tinted, no one could see in the cars and it made for a very safe efficient method of moving VIP’s through heavy traffic.

There were no incidents at all for the rest of the day. They arrived at the Galleria Hotel in downtown Dallas and were escorted up to their suites. There was a big Texas style barbecue and ball that night to welcome all the participants in the debate. It was a security nightmare. There were so many damned big wigs, you could hardly move without tripping over a millionaire somewhere. Ben had broken out his glasses about an hour into the evening. He claimed between the hair-spray on the big haired Texas ladies and the perfume his eyes were burning like crazy.

Evidently being gay in Texas wasn’t as much of a novelty as everyone thought because Michael and Emmet were being swarmed by bunches of nubile young men and a couple of old geezers that ought to know better. Brian and the Chicago Four were hanging together for fear one of them would be cut from the herd by one of the afore-mentioned big haired Texas ladies and taken away to God only knows what. They were obviously the BELLs of the BALL. It didn’t hurt that the ‘Novotny Pyramid’ were dressed in beautiful tuxedo’s by Armani, Dolce-Gabbana, Versace and Saville Row and they looked (as one big-haired lovely said) DIVINE!

As things progressed from the airport to the hotel and then to the ballroom, Emmet had gotten himself under control again. The Quaalude’s and Scotch administered on the plane had been augmented by more Quaalude’s downed this time by his favorite Cosmopolitan. Not only was he feeling no pain, he was floating pretty damned high off the ground. Which only made him more desirable to the crowd of young admirers he and Michael couldn’t seem to shake off.

Finally at midnight, Brian began rounding up his wandering doggies and getting them herded out the door and back to their suites. All he could think of was a long hot soak in his tub. He knew his ass was covered with bruises. He’d never been pinched or patted so much on the butt since he was two years old.

There were loud cries of protest when he announced they were leaving; especially when it was discovered that all seven of the delightful men were leaving without taking a little somethin’- somethin’ with them from the ball.

Michael as usual won the hearts of everyone present when he told them they had to take pity on them because they were just poor Northerner’s and weren’t used to partying like they had that night. He congratulated them on really knowing how to throw a ball and said he hoped to have another chance to try it again.

Everyone collapsed and slept like they all had been drugged. Another Quaalude and breakfast got Emmet moving and they headed out for a series of TV interviews and a brief rehearsal for the debate the next night. When they finally got back to their hotel at the end of a very long exhausting day, they all agreed that day two was just ‘second verse…same as the first.’

The next day was a repeat of the previous. They had two short TV interviews then they would be coming back to their hotel to prepare for the debate that evening. Their first appearance was with an old friend. Ellen DeGeneres had brought her talk show to Dallas for the debates and the Novotny Pyramid would be appearing on her 9.30am live show. They all enjoyed being around Ellen who knew damn well they all were gay with the exception of Brian but always made it appear on camera as though she was treating Michael and Emmet slightly different from their friends…their very straight friends. There was a reason why she was one of the best talk show hosts in the industry.

They had brought the house down when Emmet got up to dance with Ellen. Now as we’ve mentioned before, Emmet was one hell of a dancer and he and Ellen really got down and did some moves for her audience. They received a standing ovation that lasted long after they went off the air. Brian hated to rush everyone when they were having such a good time but they did need to get going to make their second interview and then get back to the hotel for a little rest before tonight. He got his small herd together and almost had them out the door when he ran into a solid wall of fans. Their security guards got them moved back away from the men but they were so disappointed that Michael begged Brian to let everyone sign autographs for at least five minutes. Surely they could spare that much time for all these folks who’d waited so long for them. Since the majority was kids after Conner, Justin and Drew Brian just sighed and said okay. He was trying to keep an eye on everyone which was a little hard because they had broken up into three groups; four if you counted him. The three celebrities were signing in one spot, Ben and Emmet were talking quietly together, Michael was talking with some of his security guards and Brian was just standing there trying to watch all of them. It was getting harder and harder to hear what was going on because there was a loud roaring sound that was getting louder as he thought about it.

Suddenly a black and chrome Harley came speeding around the corner. Brian caught a flash of light and realized it was off the chrome handle of an assault rifle the driver was pointing at his group. Brian screamed and everything went into slow motion. He knew he couldn’t reach Michael in time so he just launched himself at him. About the time his body collided with Michael’s he felt a pain in his arm like he’d never felt before and then he felt another pain in his lower left side. That was the last thing he felt.

He never knew when Ben and Emmet also threw themselves at him and Michael and took them down covering their bodies with theirs. Conner, Justin and Drew sped across the sidewalk and crouched down trying to cover the growing pile of men.

Later they discovered that one of the young people waiting for autographs had video-taped the whole thing and it was amazingly clear and steady. He caught the whole thing. Michael’s turn, Brian’s leap through the air, his whole body jerking wildly from the bullets tearing into it and finally, Ben and Emmet throwing themselves on top of the two men. He even caught the bullet that hit Emmet in the head and the large spray of blood that gushed from the wound and covered them all.

Another fan had caught the action that followed. One of Michael’s new security guards had turned and saw the motorcycle racing around the corner. Evidently he either also caught a glimpse of the gun or he just plain didn’t want the biker anywhere near his charge because he erupted into a dead run, leaped on the hood of the first limo waiting at the curb and threw himself at the rider as he went past. He crashed into the biker taking him off his bike and literally riding him right into the curb. People standing nearby said they heard the snap of the biker’s neck when he rammed into the concrete curbing.

*****************

Michael’s security team lived up to their reputations. Within seconds they had Conner, Justin and Drew in the first limo under guard. They had called 911 but police were already on the scene and they were trying to get at least one ambulance. No one knew the extent of anyone’s injuries and the detail were hired to protect Michael first and foremost. Michael was at the bottom of the pile buried under three large bodies. There was so much blood, no one could tell who was hurt or how badly. Emmet was examined quickly and they found his head wound. He was unconscious and bleeding profusely. Ben took off his suit jacket and tore off his shirt which he formed into a pad and pressed against the ugly gash in his head. The bullet seemed to be lodged in his skull so he couldn’t press too hard because they could see shards of bone peaking out of the wound.

He screamed at the local police demanding to know where the ambulance was. When was it going to get there?

They couldn’t hear any sirens but with the current level of noise, no one could hear anything. Ben yelled at Drew to come over to him. The security guards didn’t want to let them out of the limo but Drew tossed them aside like they were small annoyances and rushed over to Ben. Ben told him to pick Emmet up and take him to the limo. If they couldn’t get an ambulance to them, they would get their men to the hospital themselves. He and the other guards started working on Brian. He came to just long enough to tell them he could feel his arms and legs. He could feel everything and everything hurt. Then he passed out again. By then, they had partially uncovered Michael who had more blood on him than anyone which scared everyone to death for a moment until they realized that being on the bottom, Brian and Emmet had both bled out all over him. One of the security guards had been a medic in Desert Storm and he quickly examined Brian. He said he had two separate wounds and he was afraid the lower wound had broken ribs which were almost ready to puncture his lung.

Michael sacrificed his shirt to plug up the lower wound while Justin stripped and they used his shirt for Brian’s shoulder. Drew was in the limo’s front seat carefully holding Emmet like a baby. Ben and Conner picked up Brian, one on each side. With Justin carrying his feet and Michael his head they worked all of them into the back seat of the limo. The guards literally used their guns and shot the door hinges off. They stood on the running boards and lined both sides of the limo that became their impromptu ambulance and took off for Parkland. As they tore away from the curb, they were closed in by motor cops from the Dallas patrol; three in front and three behind with two more on each side. Every single machine had its sirens screaming and the limo driver was leaning on the horn while driving like all the hounds of hell were after him. The limo driver who was a Dallas resident knew exactly how to get to Parkland and had them there within seconds. He pulled up across the sidewalk and right up to the emergency door. When they took the men out of the limo, there was a solid line of armed guards hiding everything from sight.

The head of trauma was waiting for them. He’d been called almost as soon as the gunfire ceased. He knew his city and his team would be in the national spotlight if not the world again. This time, they had to do better than last time. This time, they had to save all the men their violent city had tried to destroy. He was ready with two gurneys. They carefully maneuvered first Emmet and then Brian out of the limo and onto a gurney. The head of trauma, Dr. Fletcher took Emmet and he assigned Brian to their chief orthopedic man Dr. Walcott.

They were rushing down the hall towards the elevators to the OR when another ambulance pulled up outside right next to the limo. One of the guards shouted, “Mr. Novotny”.

Michael turned and motioned them to go on with his friends. He yelled back to the guard and asked him what he wanted.

“Sir, this is one of ours. He took out the shooter and he’s hurt real bad.”

Michael didn’t hesitate. He turned and flew down the hall. It wasn’t often that you got to see a presidential candidate half naked, covered with blood, running down a hospital corridor.

“Dr. Fletcher, wait a minute. We’ve got one more here.”

He turned and motioned to his guards to bring in the other man.

“Mr. Novotny we were informed that there were two and only two VIP’s to be treated.”

“Dr. Fletcher, do you consider me to be a VIP?”

“Well, obviously you fit the category of national celebrity so yes; we do consider you a VIP.”

“Well Doctor, this man is more of a VIP than I will ever be. While I was safe on the sidewalk with my friends bleeding and wounded above me, this man risked his life to take out the man who shot at us and I don’t even know his name.”

Michael turned and looked back at his guards who were running down the hall toward him next to a gurney with a bloody mess on it that sort of looked like a man; at least from the waist down. One of the guards yelled at him; “Parker, his name is Joseph Parker.”

Michael turned back toward the doctor. “Now that makes Joseph Parker one hell of a VIP in my book. What about yours?”

Dr. Fletcher took one quick look at the man on the gurney. He called out to one of the nurses to get the head of the burn unit to the OR at once to care for Mr. Parker. He mouthed ‘sorry’ at Michael and went back to Brian. All three men were loaded into the elevators and rushed into surgery and Michael and his remaining friends and his guards settled down to do the hardest thing of all; notify all the next of kin and wait. Michael thought that the next time Emmet was worried about anything at all he would listen to him no matter whom or what he had to disappoint. Then he said a quick prayer that he would be able to listen to his exasperating, beloved partner again in the future.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a look at the background of the 'Chicago Four'.

THE AFTERMATH

Ben Bruckner

Ben had been a big baby and by the time he was ten it was pretty obvious he was going to be one big man. His parents worked with him to control his size and strength and not be a bully. He was carefully taught to maintain control and watch his temper. He was enrolled in Yoga with an emphasis on meditation when he was ten years old. Ben had known as long as he could remember that he could hurt people very easily. He was careful with his emotions; both good and bad. He was almost relieved when he realized he was gay because now he didn’t have to worry about hurting a delicate female or holding back during sex. He quickly discovered that men could be hurt just as easily as women.

Almost everyone had assumed Ben would go into sports because of his size, strength and agility but the law had always held a certain fascination for him. He loved the idea of the law. He hated the way evil men used the law to suit their own selfish purposes. He wanted to change that. He wanted the law to be strong again and impervious to outside influence. He devoted his life to practicing good, sound law; writing contracts in English that people could understand without a college degree, writing sound contracts that could not be twisted or perverted or manipulated. He was a damn good lawyer and his clients absolutely adored him. He also discovered it was a hell of way to meet men of all sizes and shapes. He’d never actually tried to hide his sexuality; he just never thought it was the most important thing about him.

Up to now, Ben had been living the life that most people just dreamed about. He was rich. He was happy. He had more sex than any three men should have. He had certain people in his life that he loved and sex with them was more than just satisfaction and release. He knew he and Emmet were the epitome of the odd couple. He was so quiet and restrained and Emmet was so flamboyant but not a lot of people knew that Emmet in private was the most passionate man he’d ever met. He was funny and sexy and kept Ben completely entertained; in or out of bed.

Ben had been thinking lately that maybe there was a chance for him after all. He knew about the odd connection between Michael and Emmet. He’d experienced it himself on many occasions. He knew that even if the two didn’t wind up lovers, they would never give each other up. He was strong enough to know that and accept it. He knew if Emmet ever committed to anyone, they would come first to him as long as they acknowledged that Michael was a very close second. To get Emmet, he was more than prepared to agree to that. That’s why he’d joined Michael’s campaign; to convince Emmet by deed as well as words that he was accepting of their peculiar bond and would not try to break it or separate the two friends. So much for that. It looked as though Emmet was going to be separated from everyone and everything. He remembered the blood and the sight of the white, splintered bone in Emmet’s wound.

Right now, Ben was trying desperately to get control of himself. He was practicing his meditations and deep breathing but all he could think of was Brian and Emmet; so broken, so shattered laying so still under him. All he could see and smell was blood. It was caked on his hands and on his clothes. His bare upper body was covered with it. It was in his hair. He swore it was in his mouth. He imagined he could taste their blood. They were trying to find a pair of scrubs that would fit him. Michael and Justin were fitted almost as soon as they got the three men in the elevator but he was a problem.

He looked up at the people gathered in the room. Everyone seemed to be in their own little piece of space almost as though they were afraid to get too close to each other. He looked for Michael and found him standing in the middle of the room. He was just standing. His scrubs were a little big for him and he looked almost childlike.

Ben got up and walked over to Michael. He got down and right in his face.

“So are you going to quit? I want you to tell me right now; right here and right now. While we’re waiting to find out if they live or die. Before we know if they will be okay even if they do live. Will Brian ever be able to rough house with his kid? Will Emmet still be the brilliant, funny, irreverent man he was? What about Joseph Parker? Is he going to be a scarred freak? Are You Going To Quit?”

Justin Taylor

Justin never once took any blame for his parent’s divorce. Things had been strained in the Taylor house for years before Justin told them he was gay. His father used his declaration as an excuse to bail on them but he and his mother knew the truth. His father was a pathetic loser who was just looking for an excuse and Justin gave him a good one. Things were a little rough for them for a while. His dad made a good living but he decided that he didn’t want to share anything of his with a wife who gave him a queer for a son.

Justin went to see his grandparents. He had a hunch they had no idea what was going on. Justin told them in no uncertain terms. The business his father claimed he owned was actually a family business with the controlling shares in the hands of his parents. When Justin’s grandfather told his son he was going to be a man and support his wife and children whether one of them was gay or not he quickly saw the light and after that the support checks were delivered right on time.

Justin had always had a talent for music. He could pick out tunes on a piano when he was four years old. He won a scholarship to Julliard and was well on his way to becoming the new piano virtuoso of the 21st century when something funny happened on his way to Carnegie Hall.

One of his friends called him in a panic. He had a rock band and they had a gig that would pay them $500.00 for one evening with a promise of more nights if the crowd liked them. Only problem was, their pianist had the mumps. When Justin got through laughing, he asked his friend what he expected him to do about it. His friend wanted him to take his place. Justin started laughing again. He said, he’d never played Rock and Roll in his life. He dedicated his time and efforts to the classical masters. His friend pointed out that Justin could sight read music better than anyone he’d ever seen and begged him to do it as a favor to him. Justin finally agreed. When he walked out on that crowded little stage and sat down at that beat-up old piano, he’d had a moment. It was one hell of a large moment. Almost as large as the scream that went up when the crowd got a good look at the blond cutie that was going to be tickling the ivories that night. It was a moment that changed Justin’s life. He’d been a monumental success. The club owner gave them open access any time they could play his club and Justin spent his first full night screwing all night long. It was a revelation on so many levels.

He’d ditched Julliard, taken over leadership of the band and within a year they were the new sensation. The fact that Justin had real solid talent to go with his blond good looks sealed the deal and made sure that they were not a one hit wonder.

He really thought that backing Michael in his bid for the presidency was a way of showing his fans and the music world that he was a full grown up with the ability to shoulder his adult responsibilities in this scary world they were living in. He was in his early thirties for God’s sake. It was time to put the teeny groupies and the one night stands behind him. Only he hadn’t expected this.

He thought of his beautiful pale blue shirt. He’d ripped it off without a second’s pause when Ben had told him to hold it against Brian’s shoulder. He’d watched as the blood poured through the material turning it first bright red and then darker as more and more blood spilled. He could still feel, smell, see the blood welling up between his fingers and running over his hands. Dear God, would he ever get that out of his mind. What the hell was Benjamin thinking? Of course Michael had to quit. Why would any sane person keep going when there were people capable of things like this? Ben’s angry words vibrated in the silence of the room. Are You Going To Quit?

Conner James

Conner had been a gorgeous baby. He’d turned into a darling toddler and then an even cuter little boy. He never had the awkward adolescence so many of his peers did. He’d never had a zit, never had acne; nope, no embarrassing moments for Conner James.

He had to become a movie star. It was the only option he had. It had been so easy. He’d gone to his first audition as a complete lark and came away with the lead in a TV sit-com. Of course he’d been a tremendous hit. When he was just 13 years old, he had grown women and men all trying to hit on him and he’d lost his virginity to the actress who played his mother on the show one memorable night in her swanky on-site trailer. It had been fun and it really felt good but when the actor who played his father came on to him a week later, then he discovered what all the shouting was really about. What a cosmic joke! What a sense of humor God had. Conner James, the sexiest star in the industry was a fairy, a queer, a homo.

Of course, he was an actor so he was more than able to convince everyone, including the lovely ladies he romanced, that he was God’s gift to the female race both in and out of bed. But his passion, that was reserved for the nights he spent with the young actors who threw themselves at him. He gorged himself on dicks. His theory was if one cock was great… two or more was G R E A T E R!

He’d met Benjamin Bruckner at an industry event. Ben had just handled the merger of two large talent agencies. He’d been overwhelmed by the big, handsome, confident man who just smiled at him and treated him like an amusing younger brother. No matter how hard he threw himself at the gentle giant, he turned every attempt aside. Conner was almost beside himself with exasperation. Didn’t this idiot know he was Conner James? Men and women would pay large sums of money for one hour with him and here he was offering himself to this guy for nothing and he just smiled and said,’ thanks but no thanks’.

Ben’s last night in town had been topped by a huge party thrown by the new agency. Everyone who was anyone was there. Conner had tried one last time but still no go. He gave up in disgust and found he was so upset; he didn’t even want to take a party favor home with him. Later that night, he’d been pacing back and forth in his Beverly Hills show place when the door bell rang. It was almost 3.00 am in the morning and all Conner’s house servants were long asleep. He went to the door and opened it to see a smiling Ben standing on the other side. He didn’t even get to ask him what he was doing there. Ben stepped inside, backed him up against the wall and kissed him until his strong arms were the only thing holding him up. He sank to his knees and took Ben’s cock in his mouth there on the floor in his entry way. The next morning, he could hardly move. Ben looked fresh as a daisy and kissed him good bye with a big smile on his face. He told him the next time he was in Pittsburgh to look him up.

It was months before he got Ben to tell him why he’d refused him so much in the beginning. Then he finally got a clue and realized he didn’t need Ben to tell him. It wasn’t because Ben was afraid of being outted. It was because Conner went after him with the attitude that he was Conner James and Ben ought to be damn glad he was interested. Ben never had to be damn glad anyone was interested in him because everyone was. When Conner met first Michael and Emmet and then Justin and Drew through Ben, he discovered the mother lode.

He had five beautiful sexy gay men who were at the peak of their sexual power and they all knew exactly how to use that sexual power. It was like being at a really extravagant smorgasbord all the time when he was with them. He knew he could probably spend the rest of his life with any of the five men and be completely content. It was a no brainer when Ben asked him to donate to Michael’s run. He’d joined in the campaign like it was fun trip to Disney. Where was the fun now? Ben’s question rang through the empty room. He was asking it of Michael but Conner knew the question was for him also. Are You Going To Quit?

Drew Boyd

Drew had a childhood somewhat similar to Ben’s with one exception. His father urged him to use his size and his strength to get what he wanted. Drew had been born into poverty. There were seven kids in the family and just getting enough to eat was a daily struggle. His dad was a harsh man who took his disappointments out on his wife and his kids. When Drew came along, he was completely beaten down and just wanted everyone else around him to be beat down also; preferably by him.

Drew was twelve years old when his mother got her last beating from her sullen husband. He’d taken an instant dislike to the hamburger casserole she’d fixed and felt it was only right that he slap her around until she understood he deserved better than that. It didn’t matter whether they had the money or not. He was the head of the family and he got what he wanted first. He’d slapped her twice; the second a backhand that caused blood from her nose to spray across the kitchen wall. He was doubling up his fist to put her down when something caught his arm. He turned and looked straight into the eyes of his furious twelve year old son. He suddenly realized the kid was as tall as he was and he was strong enough to hold his arm in mid-air. His son shoved him away from his mother so hard the old man slid out into the hall. He picked his mother up and put her in a chair. He called his sisters in to take care of her. He walked over and stood over the coward who’d made their life a living hell and wanted so badly to just squash him like a bug. He knew if he did, he would get away with it. He also knew if he did, he would be no better than he was. He leaned down and looked right into the old bastard’s eyes.

“If you ever lay a hand on her or any of us again, I’ll rip your arm out of its socket and use it to beat you to a bloody pulp. Do you understand?”

The old man just lay there and looked at this big strong twelve year old boy.

“I can’t hear you so I’ll ask you again; do you understand?”

The old man still didn’t answer so Drew bent down and fastened his hand in the front of his shirt. He actually had the bully completely off the floor when he realized he’d better answer this determined kid or he might never have the chance to say anything again.

“Yes, I understand. I understand.”

“Say it out loud old man. Say you will never hit your wife or any of your children again. Say it you sorry son-of-a-bitch and maybe, just maybe I’ll let you keep your teeth.”

The old man said it. He said it twice because it wasn’t loud enough for Drew the first time. For the rest of his miserable existence on this planet, he never hit his wife or his children but he started urging Drew to use his size to his advantage.

Fortunately Drew had the brains to match his size. He realized this piece of trash who was his sperm donor really wanted him to be a bully just like him so he resisted every attempt of his so called ‘father’ to power his way to what he wanted. He studied and he played baseball. Yeah that’s right; baseball. Everyone thought he ought to be playing football because of his size but baseball was his love. He went straight into the major leagues after college and with his signing bonus; he bought his mother a home of her own. He left it up to her whether she would allow the old bastard into that house. When she said she didn’t want him out on the street but she didn’t want him in her beautiful home, Drew had an apartment built over the garage and that’s where his father spent what was left of his miserable life.

Drew got his revenge in a big way. He’d realized he was different in more than just size in high-school when he found himself enjoying the touch of his teammates a lot more than he should have. He loved having them slap his ass in his skin tight pants. He had to have his cup made extra tight to keep his hard-on from showing in the shiny latex fabric. When he found himself alone one night in the locker room after an intense work-out with just his friend who’d been catching for him, he discovered why he was reacting the way he did. They had both hit the showers and Drew was amazed to feel his friend Larry running his hands over his back and down to his butt. When he asked Larry what he was doing, Larry told him he was just soaping his back for him. Didn’t it feel good? Oh yeah, it felt more than good. It felt like heaven. Then Larry handed him the soap and told him to soap him down. Drew took the soap and looked up into Larry’s eyes. He soaped him down all right; right down between the cheeks of his firm hard ass and then he’d buried himself in that beautiful ass and found the answer to everything that had been troubling him.

When he won his first World Series and received his award for MVP he went to see his father. He showed him the ring and the trophy. He told him how much money he was going to get for the win and then he’d handed his father some pictures. The pictures were of him and one of the players on his team and they were being very athletic in a very private setting. His father had a mild stroke. Drew didn’t feel sorry at all.

A stupid fall from a ladder shattered his throwing elbow and the rest of his dreams. He’d tried to come back after surgery and rehab but it was obvious that he would never be able to throw a ball 105 miles an hour again. He’d retired with his memories and his awards intact. He’d had all sorts of offers to coach but a chance meeting with an exec at ESPN had been his answer to everything. Drew had brains along with his brawn and he’d been an instant success at his one-shot offer to do the announcing for the World Series that year. He knew and loved the game. He knew how it should be played and he knew all the players. He was a huge sensation. He’d hired a lawyer named Benjamin Bruckner on the advice of his old coach to negotiate his contract with ESPN. He’d been impressed with Ben’s skill, his knowledge of sports and the law and most of all, the fact that he wasn’t contentious but rather calm and quiet about Drew’s effectiveness to the network. The contract had been a work of art and Drew Boyd had more money than he ever dreamed possible, complete access to a sport and all the players in a world he loved. He’d also had one hell of a celebration with Ben after the contract was signed. The celebration went on for four days. Afterwards he was scared to death because he was firmly in the closet and intended to stay there forever.

Then Ben had introduced him to Michael Charles Novotny and Drew was a goner. He’d taken one look into those big dark eyes and been blinded by that sweet sunny smile and he was ready to yell he was gay from the roof tops. Thankfully for him, Michael was smart enough to know he was deep in lust. Michael had taken him through their love affair with a sure hand and when he felt Drew was ready, he’d introduced him to so many beautiful, gay men that Drew had realized as much as he loved Michael (and he did love him) he was also not ready to settle down and stay with just one man. Not even Michael. They had stayed friends and lovers and he really thought that when he’d sowed all his wild oats, he would woo Michael and convince him to come live with him and be his love.

Now, he looked at the man he loved and saw the agony in his eyes and the heartbreak on his face. He wanted to hold Michael tight and tell him that everything was all right even when he knew that nothing would ever be all right again. Evil had reared its ugly head and turned their bright adventure into a trip to hell. What was Benjamin asking Michael? Drew listened to the angry words ring in the silence of the hospital waiting room. Please God let Michael just say yes. Don’t let him take any more chances. Next time it could be him broken and bloody. Ben, just shut up. Stop asking him that. Are You Going To Quit?


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and his remaining men try to cope with the events in Dallas and Michael has to make the most important decision of his life.

**_“So are you going to quit? I want you to tell me right now; right here and right now. While we’re waiting to find out if they live or die. Before we know if they will be okay even if they do live. Will Brian ever be able to rough house with his kid? Will Emmet still be the brilliant, funny, irreverent man he was? What about Joseph Parker? Is he going to be a scarred freak? Are You Going To Quit?”_ **

Ben’s words shattered the silence of the waiting room. He was still in Michael’s face waiting for an answer. He was too scared and angry to realize that Michael was incapable of answering him then. He was still trying to process what had happened. Meanwhile Drew was watching Michael closely. He saw what Ben couldn’t. He knew what he wanted Michael to say when he was back with them again.

 **_‘Please Michael just say yes. Don’t take any more chances. Next time it could be you broken and bloody. Ben, just shut up. Stop asking him that. Are You Going To Quit?’_ **

“Ben, come on. He’s not even hearing you right now. Give him a break. Go sit down or better yet, call Tracy and have her bring us some clean clothes. All of us are filthy whether we lost our shirts or not and we need to change.”

Drew put his arms around Michael and moved the smaller man over to a couch where he sat him down. Michael put up no struggle. He was tuned out for the time being. He’d held it together when it was necessary. He’d got his men to the hospital and into surgery and now he was crashing big time. Drew just sat there with his arm around him and let Michael rest on his shoulder. He was ashamed that even now in the midst of this horrible tragedy, he welcomed the feel of Michael’s body leaning against him. He prayed that it would be the first of many times Michael would lean on him.

In the meantime, Ben took Drew’s advice and called Tracy. She was just getting ready to leave the hotel. She had been waiting to see where they all were before she just blindly went searching for them in Dallas. She told Ben, she would notify all the families and Peter and bring fresh clothes for all of them. Being Tracy, she was saving her tears for when she would really need them. Right now, she had work to do for her men and she would take care of all the details for them the way she always did.

She reached Peter Roca on his private jet heading for Dallas. She told him everything Ben had told her and that the men were at Parkland Hospital. Peter thanked her and said he would take care of anything else that needed doing. Tracy told him rather shortly that she was more than capable of taking care of the details from her end. All she wanted from him was to make sure her men were safe and that no one else could get to them. He assured her he would have so much fire power guarding them that a fly could not get to them.

He hung up and leaned his head back against the seat. Dear God, he had so hoped they would get through this without bloodshed but if there were humans involved, someone would shed blood before it was all over. He briefly thought about trying to steal Tracy after the elections were over. Then he shook his head. What elections? He wasn’t sure Michael would even allow him in the room after this. Oh well, he had to try. Michael’s run for the presidency was the culmination of a lifetime for him. He could not give up as long as there was a breath left in his body. If Peter had been in that Parkland waiting room, he too would have been holding his breath waiting for Michael to answer that all important question; Are You Going to Quit!

There wasn’t complete silence in the waiting room. Ben was still trying to get his anger under control and was murmuring a soft quiet chant. Drew was still holding Michael and occasionally would hum to him or whisper a quiet, ‘we’re all here and we’re okay’ to him. Conner and Justin were sitting side by side just trying to take it all in. Every once in a while, Conner would ask Justin if he wanted anything and Justin would shake his head no. Then Justin would ask Conner if he could get him some water or juice and Conner would say no. If ever there was a room full of people who fit the phrase ‘the walking wounded’ this was it.

Suddenly there was a slight commotion outside the room followed by Tracy sweeping into the room with four large guards behind her carrying what appeared to be the contents of a high scale men’s store. She had a small blonde woman with her. She took one look at Michael and realized he would not be making any decisions for a while yet so she turned to Ben.

“Ben, this is Marcie Post the PR person for the hospital. She’s here to help us get things organized since it looks like we will be here for a while. The police and crime techs are just outside. They need your clothes and your statements. There are three of them so we can do three of you at a time and as you finish, you can take a shower and get cleaned up. Miss Post has made arrangements for a private room and its bath to be made available to us for the time being. So who wants to go first?”

Ben said he, Conner and Justin would go first and give Michael a little more time to get himself together. Tracy took another look at her candidate and agreed that was a great idea. She motioned to the guards and they opened the door and allowed the detectives and the crime techs to come into the room. Tracy introduced all of them to Ben, Conner and Justin and Miss Post and then they started to take each man away to a private area where they could take their statements.

At that point Ben quietly refused to allow the questioning without their attorney present. When the officers said the men had not requested an attorney, they all (except Michael) chimed up and said they were invoking their right to an attorney.

The detectives were obviously upset; they had the worst case of their lives on their hands, they had more VIP’s than they could shake a stick at and they were hours behind simply because of the logistics of this particular crime scene. They sure as hell didn’t want to wait umpteen more hours for these rich cats to get their attorneys there. Conner, always the charmer, spoke up and told the detectives they wouldn’t be inconvenienced at all. All of them had dealings with Ben at one time or another so they were more than agreeable to him acting as their attorney now. Ben agreed the technicians could remove the clothes and the men could shower and clean up as long as the tech’s said nothing more than ‘Please remove your shirt, pants, socks etc.

The lead detective Alex Vartann called Ben aside and spoke with him briefly.

“Mr. Bruckner; I’m sure you know we don’t consider you and your friends to be suspects but this is the biggest case any of us have ever handled here. Only the assasination of President Kennedy comes anywhere close to it and everyone connected with that case is either dead or retired. The eyes of the world are going to be on us and what we do here and we want to make sure we don’t miss a single thing.”

Ben looked at the young handsome detective and thought that in another time another life he might be tempted to try a little seduction but he wasn’t sure he would be up for sex for a while yet.

“I realize that and I’m not trying to interfere with you or your men. But you have to realize that these are not common ordinary men. They are celebrities whether they want to be or not and all they were doing was exercising their constitutional right to campaign for a candidate they believe in. We’re all friends so that makes things even worse. We don’t know if two of us are even going to be alive an hour from now. We’re all covered in our friend’s blood and we literally held them in our arms and felt their blood spill down on us. We’re pretty upset right now so please let me be with them. I’m not going to get all legal on you unless you start asking questions that don’t pertain to the shooting or Michael’s appearances here in Dallas and you don’t strike me as the kind of man who’s panting to know who’s sleeping with whom.”

Ben was questioned first and then the other two men. By the time they were through with Conner and Justin, Drew and Tracy had managed to bring Michael out of his almost coma state and although at first very hesitant when told Ben would be with him acting as his attorney, he relaxed and agreed to go with the officers and give his statement.

He gave up his clothes without any struggle at all until the tech asked him where his shirt and tie were and why he was wearing a scrub jacket. Then he looked at Ben and his eyes filled with tears. “Ben, my shirt, I used my shirt to stop Brian’s bleeding. Where is my shirt? Did it work? Did he bleed to death? Why don’t I have my shirt?”

Even Vartann realized they would get nothing from a man in that state and he cut his interview off. Ben and Drew took Michael into the bathroom and helped him shower and change into clean clothes. Tracy had outdone herself. She had brought casual and dress outfits for all five men though most of them chose the casual clothes. Michael was under control when he came out of the bathroom and he asked Vartann if he wanted to complete his statement. Vartann looked at Ben and Ben gave him a silent nod. They went back to the small room and Michael told him everything he could remember about the events of the last few hours. Every so often he would ask if anyone knew anything about Brian and Emmet and the answer was always ‘No’.

The detectives were through and were just leaving when Peter Roca and his men entered the waiting room. There had been no problem with the guards at all not even the men from the Dallas Police Department. Evidently Mr. Roca was welcome anywhere no matter how big the disaster. He ignored everyone in the room with the exception of a brief nod at Tracy and headed straight for Michael. He stopped in from of him and put his hands on Michael’s shoulders. Michael just looked at him.

Finally he said, “Do you know what they did Peter? They shot Brian and Emmett. I’m the one shooting off my big mouth and where am I when the shit hits the fan? I’m on the bottom of the pile with my friends bleeding all over me that’s where I am. What the hell am I doing this for?”

Peter shook Michael very gently to get his attention.

“Michael, do you believe in fate? Do you believe things happen according to some great cosmic plan?”

“I don’t know. I think I believe in fate, I’m not so sure about the plan though. If one does exist then it sure as hell need some revising because it stinks so far.”

Peter smiled at him. “Well if you believe in fate my boy then you have to believe that you and your friends were all exactly where you were supposed to be. They believe in you and they care about you. They care enough to protect you at the cost of their own lives. What do you care about Michael?”

“So you think that’s it’s okay for two brilliant, beautiful men like them to just throw their lives away on a chance that I might be president. I don’t think I like your way of thinking.”

“Michael, I don’t think for one single second that Brian or Emmet were thinking about the presidency or you saving the country or anything like that. I have never believed that heroes, true heroes like these two and your other friends here make a conscious decision to sacrifice their own lives for someone else. I think they saw someone in peril and they reacted. That’s what real heroes do. They act without thought for their own safety and believe me my boy; Brian and Emmet are real heroes. When Ben and Conner and Justin and Drew fought their way out of that safe limo and back to the three of you lying on the sidewalk they were heroes also. They didn’t know the shooter was being taken out. They had no idea how many people were shooting at you. They just wanted to get back to their friends to try to protect them.

Now you have to decide what you are going to do. Are you going to quit?”

Peter had no idea he was asking the exact same question Ben had asked hours before but this time Michael was aware of the question and everything that went with it. He looked at his men, he looked at Tracy and finally he looked at Peter.

“If I quit, a couple of years from now Brian and Emmet will be an interesting footnote in the history books regarding the election. No one will remember what they did or how brave all of these men were. I can’t quit. I can’t let them go through this for nothing. Just so I can put my tail between my legs and run home at the first sign of danger. No, I’m not going to quit but my friends are. From now on it’s just me out there. If someone wants to kill me for what I’m saying or who I’m sleeping with, let me be the only one drawing fire.”

There was complete silence in the room. Then Ben stepped forward and said, ‘No’. Then Conner; ‘NO’. Then Justin; ‘NO’. Then Drew; ‘NO’.

Justin put his hand on Michael’s arm. “What the hell makes you think you’re the only one in the room with balls my friend. We started this as an adventure. The four of us and you and Brian and Emmet are going to attack it now like the fight it really is. No one, but no one is going to make us back down or run or hide. “

“Mr. Roca, I’m prepared to hold a press conference and announce to the world that I’m gay and I’m going to keep right on fighting for a man who will make a difference.”

Conner, Ben and Drew just looked at their young friend. They all had thought he would be the first one to get tired of the ‘adventure’ but here he was; the young cub was showing his teeth and claws.

Mr. Roca smiled and patted Justin on the shoulder. “Michael knew what he was doing when he defied me and insisted that you and the others join his campaign and travel with him. I don’t think we need to broadcast your secret to the world just yet my young warrior. Michael, it looks as though your troops are going to mutiny if you try to send them home now. So what do you want to do about this?”

Michael looked at the determined expression on his friends faces. He looked at Tracy who was trying very hard to keep the tears from showing even while she was smiling at her men.

“I have an idea what I want to do but first I have to know that Brian, Emmet and Joseph are going to make it through surgery.”

Peter had no idea who Joseph was and was appalled to discover he was one of his new guards. He immediately started texting headquarters to find out if Joseph had a family and if they had been notified.

Over the next few hours, miracles occurred. Working with Marcie Post arrangements were made for a vacant wing to be turned over to the group. The first order of business was to set up an ICU for the three men when they came out of surgery. It was Michael’s decision to keep them all in one room. He felt that a larger security force could be devoted to their safety if they weren’t split up all over the place. Peter arranged for large sheets of bullet proof glass to be put together so visitors could sit on one side and see their loved ones without going into the room all the time. Large curtains were installed for privacy if the patients got tired of being in a fishbowl. Beds and machines were requisitioned and the largest part of the wing became a huge lounge area with food and drinks and large comfortable chairs. He brought in several large screen TV’s and some video games so off duty guards and nurses could relax without having to leave the unit.

Michael, Tracy and his remaining four soldiers huddled together, worrying and planning strategy. After what seemed to be a lifetime, Dr. Fletcher walked into the ward. He was tired and his scrubs were soaked with sweat but Emmet was alive. That’s the only hope he gave them. He made it through surgery and he was alive. They’d removed several large bone splinters from his brain and it would be sometime before they knew if there was any permanent damage. Right then, he was not able to breathe on his own. The splinters had entered the portion of the brain that controlled motor functions so breathing, swallowing, deliberate movements all were impaired. They hoped that was just a temporary problem due to the invasive surgical procedure and the pressure building in his brain from bleeding and general trauma. They had placed several drain holes in his skull to relieve the pressure and they were monitoring him every 15 minutes to see if the bleeding was more than just seepage from the edema. Access to Emmet was severely restricted because of possible infection. In fact, Dr. Fletcher told them access to all three men would be cut back because of the fear of infection. In one way, having them all in the same room was causing a massive problem and in others it was a tremendous plus factor.

The families began to arrive; Lindsay, Gus and her parents came first. Then Michael’s mother and Uncle Vic got there with Emmet’s mother and dad and four of his siblings. The other two would be there as soon as they made some arrangements at home and work. There was no family for Joseph Parker. He was an orphan; no parents, no siblings, no aunts or uncles. They agreed they would all be his family. After all, he’d earned their thanks and devotion for his brave actions. Ben, Drew, Connor and Justin had all spoke with their immediate families and they had agreed to wait to come until some of the confusion had died down. Justin’s mother almost had hysterics when Justin told her they weren’t quitting but would be campaigning even harder than ever now. Her cries could be heard over his cell phone clear across the room. It took a while to calm her down but eventually she agreed that Justin was a big boy and he was to call her every single night so she wouldn’t worry.

Within minutes of the arrival of the last group, Dr. Walcott walked into the area with two other men. All were dressed in OR gowns and they all looked as though they’d been through a thrashing machine. Dr. Walcott introduced his colleagues, Dr. Hammel a thoracic specialist and Dr. Wilson, a cardiac surgeon. He explained that they had been worried about the broken ribs on Brian’s left side possibly puncturing his lung which is where Dr. Hammel came in. After he got the lung inflated and stitched and they pretty much had the field cleared of blood they discovered that a second rib had stabbed into the heart. Lindsay let out a loud moan when they said ‘heart’. That’s when they called Dr. Wilson. Brian had immediately been put on a heart/lung machine and Dr. Wilson inspected the heart muscle and sutured the layers back together. Then he inserted pins into the ribs to hold them together so they could not cause any more damage. All together he gave Brian almost a 50 % chance of recovery providing he didn’t get a secondary infection. Dr. Walcott told them the shoulder would heal nicely but would hurt like all get out for a while and Brian would probably be cussing his therapist. The bullet had gone through the fatty part of his upper arm and slammed into the ribs which broke the one that stabbed his heart and then gone on with enough velocity to smash his collar bone. The second bullet had pierced his side and gone through a coil of gut. He’d lost about 9 inches of gut and had two more broken ribs from that bullet. They were cautiously optimistic about his chances.

As soon as the doctors delivered their news Lindsay started demanding that Brian be moved to a private room. She didn’t want him near Emmet and the other person. They would be a source of infection for him and she didn’t know why he should be put on display behind glass walls. It took all of Peter Roca’s considerable skills as a negotiator to get her to calm down and agree that right then it was the safest place in the world for Brian to be. He explained to her that they had no idea if the gunman was working alone or was part of a group. If there were other’s out there like him, they might come after the men again and this way, Peter could have a small army guarding the three men and their friends in one central location. She finally agreed to leave him there but the minute he showed any signs of contracting some filthy infection, she was having him moved.

Peter finally got her to sit down and he arranged a lovely catered buffet for all the families and the guards and the medical personnel who were in constant attendance. When he walked back to Michael and his friends, he was walking a lot slower than he had been when he came in. Drew looked at him and smiled a little, “Welcome to the club Mr. Roca. You finally look as bad as we do.”

Peter smiled at him and just nodded. “Sometimes Mrs. Kinney can be a handful that’s for sure.”

Just then, a strange doctor entered the room. He was John Jacobs, head of the burn unit at Parkland. He’d been called to care for Joseph Parker because Joseph had in fact lost almost three full layers of skin when he slid across the pavement with the gunman. His whole upper body was reacting like one gigantic burn and they treated it the same way. It had taken hours to try to pick dirt, clothes and assorted trash out of his body and then they had covered as much of the exposed area as possible with artificial skin. They hadn’t sutured anything down; they were just using the skin to sort of cover the area and try to cut down on the loss of body fluids. Mr. Parker was in terrible pain or would have been if he’d been awake and not pumped full of high grade morphine. Dr. Jacobs told them he intended to keep him sedated for at least three or four days until the worst of it was over.

Now that all of his men were out of surgery and alive even if it was just for now, Michael asked Peter to arrange for a couple of limo’s and a small guard detail for him. When Peter asked him where he was going, Michael smiled at him and said, “I came to Dallas to enter a debate with my fellow candidates and by God, I’m going to debate. That’s what I’m going to do.”

He marshaled his four remaining men out of the room, got everyone changed into their suits and took off. Peter smiled at the door as it shut behind him and said, “Give ‘em hell Michael. Show the bastards how a real man handles tragedy.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael discusses the aftermath of the debate and he and the 'Chicago Four' wait patiently for Brian, Emmet and Joseph Parker to wake up.

Michael and his remaining men were back in their private ward. They were tired, exhilarated and almost drunk on a combination of worry, no sleep and exhaustion. They changed back into their casual clothes and Tracy gathered up their suits, shirts and ties and got them ready to go to the cleaners at the hotel. They all agreed they wanted to stay at least this first night. After that, they would work up a schedule so everyone could have their turn with their three friends. Deborah and Vic told them to put them on the schedule for all three men. After all, if they were willing to give their lives for their boy, they considered them family and they would sit with them as though they were. Emmet’s parents and siblings all wanted to go on the schedule also. Mr. Roca said he would take care of that. Tracy started to protest and he gave her a stern look.

“Oh no you don’t young lady. You’re just as tired and upset as everyone else in this room and I know you want to take your turn sitting with our friends. I also know you won’t rest when you go back to the hotel. You’ll be making calls and handling press and setting up travel arrangements and I won’t have Brian and Emmet after my scalp because I’ve let you work yourself into exhaustion. Emmet in particular is very proud of his honorary ‘fag hag’ and Brian has told me over and over again that he couldn't do this without you.”

Everyone wanted to stay with all three men with the exception of Lindsay and her parents. They agreed to take their turn with Brian but felt they didn’t know the other two men and would be uncomfortable sitting with a complete stranger. Mr. Roca didn’t say a word but said he would take care of everything. He suggested that perhaps Lindsay and her parents would like to go to their hotel for the night. They looked around at the room full of strangers who were settling in for the long haul and agreed that perhaps they would stay at least this first night.

Peter had already made arrangements with his security guards and they would be changing shifts every eight hours. He had the room guarded, the floor guarded and additional men at every entry and exit to the hospital. He had already cleared everything with the Dallas Pd who was most grateful for the help especially when Peter with his usual tact said he wanted to take some of the load off them so they could devote all their resources to investigating the shooter and his possible associates. It was a win/win situation for the police. Michael listened to Peter work his magic and thought the wrong man was running for the office. He couldn’t imagine why Peter wasn’t after the presidency for himself.

No one felt like sleeping. Everyone kept getting up and wandering over to the glass to look at the three men lying so still and quiet inside their fishbowl. Finally Peter asked Michael to tell them about the debate. The five men grinned at each other and their eager audience. Conner asked them if they hadn’t watched it on TV. Debbie said yes they had but there was still so much turmoil with doctors and nurses going in and out of the room and guards setting up positions that they missed a lot of what was going on.

They all urged Michael to start the discussion.

“Well, as you know we got there about 45 minutes into the debate and they obviously didn’t think I was coming because there was complete silence when I walked out on the stage with my four lieutenants with me. “

Justin couldn’t keep silent another minute. “You should have seen it Tracy, the whole audience stood up and started applauding. He got a standing ovation and it seemed as though it went on forever.”

Michael grinned at his young friend. “Yeah well I think they were just so damn bored they wanted the excuse to stand up and move around a little.”

Conner laughed out loud at the two men. “Oh no you don’t; they were amazed to see you there and they were applauding you for showing up after all that had happened.”

“Okay, are you all going to tell this or shall we just sit here patting each other on the back for a while?”

Ben spoke up and said with a grin, “Well, I have no objections to a friendly pat or two…how about the rest of you?”

He got enthusiastic nods from his three accomplices. Michael just shook his head at their antics and resumed his story.

“I apologized for my tardiness and told them I couldn’t leave the hospital until all my men were out of surgery and Dan Rather, the moderator asked me how they were doing and did we have a prognosis on their condition as yet. I told him they were alive and we were all guardedly optimistic.”

Conner added that Dan Rather seemed to be genuinely happy to see Michael and immediately filled him in on what he’d missed which wasn’t much.

“He asked Michael if he was ready to join the discussion and Michael told him that’s why he came to Dallas in the first place so yes he was ready. He had to wait a few minutes while they brought out a podium and a microphone for him and then they started in.”

Justin took up the story at that point.

“They were pretty easy at first. Everyone was a little unsure how to handle him because of the shooting that morning and it was pretty obvious the audience was with him so at first, like I said, it was all sunshine and lollipops and then little by little the gloves began to come off. They were getting frustrated because they would say some stupid thing and Michael would correct them. Finally one of the Republican’s, I forget which one it was cause they both look alike to me, asked him what he thought he could bring to the table when it came to jobs and unemployment considering his wealthy background. Oh that’s all it took. Tracy you would have been so proud of him.”

Conner jumped in. “Michael looked at the guy and said, “Mr. Johnson, how much does a loaf of bread cost? You should have seen Johnson’s face. His mouth dropped open and he almost stuttered. Finally he asked Michael what that had to do with jobs and employment. Michael laid it on him. He told him that they didn’t think he had any idea how the average Joe lived because he was born to money and yet they didn’t know how much it cost to put a loaf of bread on the table. Then he proceeded to tell them exactly how much it cost an average family of four to feed themselves for one week and he even gave them some sample menu’s. When he finished he had the audience on their feet again and I don’t think Rather even tried to get them to sit back down for a while.”

Drew spoke up for the first time. “But the frosting on the cake, the cherry on the sundae, the whipped cream on top of everything was when he finished and looked at this joker and said, I doubt if you would eat meatloaf, or sloppy joe’s or a veggie frittata for dinner Mr. Johnson considering the amount of crab legs and lobster and prime rib you put away at the welcoming ball the other night. After that, he had them. It didn’t matter what the question was, Michael was on top of it and had facts at his fingertips to prove his point. We have a lot to thank Brian and Tracy for in the way of preparation for this debate.”

Michael looked at his four friends/lovers and told them they had all contributed to his success that night. Not only because they had researched and brainstormed the questions he would be asked but also because they were there with him. Ready to support him in any way they could.

Deborah shook her head at her stubborn boy and told him she still didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss him or kill him for scaring the shit out of her. She asked Peter Roca if he thought there would be any more attacks.

Peter thought for a moment and then said, “I wish I could tell you that everything will be fine from now on but tradition proves that the last few months before the election is when the nasty stuff really starts. I think Michael and his men are going to be attacked in every possible manner and that may well mean more physical attempts. The thing is that now we are going to be prepared for everything. We were more worried before about people throwing things or trying to grab at him or hit him but now we know there are sick, twisted individuals who are willing to use bullets instead of logic to stop him. And I don’t care why this maniac tried to kill Michael. I don’t care if it’s because he’s gay or because he thinks people shouldn’t get a free ride or whether he wants to slap a value added tax on some redneck’s beer. It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that they or he did and we will stop it if we have to move him behind a bullet proof shield everywhere he goes. By the way Michael, what do you want to do about the speaking engagements we’ve already set up?”

Michael looked at Tracy and his four friends. “We’ve decided we’re going to make every single one of them and I do mean all of us. The only thing that will stop us is if one of our friends takes a turn for the worse. Then we will be here. But we can only do that if you give us your solemn word you will guard not only Brian, Emmet and Joseph but our parents, friends and loved ones.”

Peter thought to himself he had certainly made the right decision when he’d picked Michael to be their candidate. He was brave but not foolhardy. He was so smart and now he was determined in a way he had not been before. If it hadn’t of been for the three men lying inside that glass cage fighting for their lives he would almost have felt like thanking the gunman for focusing his boy.

“I give you my solemn word of honor that every single person you hold near and dear will be guarded within an inch of their lives whether they want to be or not.”

He looked right at Debbie and Vic when he said that because they had been loudly vocal about not wanting guards around to interfere with their activities. Michael again tried to persuade his mother and his uncle to take a trip to Italy until the campaign was over but as usual, they once again proved to everyone where Michael got his stubborn streak. Debbie and Vic did back down and agree to the guards just for Michael’s peace of mind.

Peter went to talk to Lindsay and her parents and then to Emmet’s family. He explained to all of them that Michael and his remaining supporters were determined to keep on campaigning and to keep the names of their loved ones in the public mind. He also told all of them that meant that they were going to be getting armed guards around the clock and unless they wanted to leave the US they needed to listen to their guards. Lindsay’s parents decided they would take their fall trip to Europe early which took them out of the loop. They tried to persuade Lindsay to go with them but she felt her place was with her husband at least until he was out of danger. Then she might consider a few weeks away from the turmoil.

Emmet’s family told him he needn’t worry about them for a while because they were staying right there until Emmet opened his eyes and recognized them. They did ask that he watch over the two siblings who had not been able to get to Texas as yet. Peter took out his PDA and within minutes had full dossiers on Emmet’s brother and sister. He made arrangements for their protection and then had Emmet’s mom call them to tell them what was going on and who the strange men were who were going to be a part of their lives at least until November.

Everything was taken care of that could be handled right then and there…now came the hard part; they waited.

***************************

EIGHT DAYS LATER   
Michael and the others had just flown in from Detroit. Everyone was exhausted. Trying to keep up the research, get the speech’s polished, get the flight arrangements and then the hard schedule they were keeping was taking its toll on everyone. Michael wondered if they could do it if they didn’t have Peter’s private jet at their disposal. They were literally working up to the moment they boarded the plane and continuing to work on the plane. They had it down to a science exactly how long it took each of the five men to shower, shave and dress on the plane so they would look calm and unhurried when they deplaned. They went from the airport directly to the venue where Michael would speak, tried to keep all after speech activity to a minimum and then got on the plane and came straight back to Dallas.

Unfortunately Michael’s growing popularity meant that more and more people wanted to join his campaign and that meant more and more people who he had to ‘press the flesh’ with. He made it a point to greet each of his support groups at every location and say a few words to them. He tried to get across to them how grateful he and his men were for their support and their hard work and assure them that only the three men still lying in coma’s in a glass cage in Parkland Hospital kept him from spending more time with them. He always ended with, “I can hardly wait for all of you to meet Brian, Emmet and Joseph. They are great guys and I know you will like them.”

It was a sad case that his sudden surge in the polls could be directly attributed to his friends almost being killed. You got to love America. Give them blood and guts and they will respond every time. Michael was hitting the taxes, loss of jobs, unemployment, government intervention and energy at almost every single place he went. He felt those were the biggest problems in the country at that time. When asked why he didn’t have healthcare or Medicare up there he said, he felt if they could get the tax situation straightened out and get jobs back and folks back to work, there wouldn’t be the huge need for government intervention in those areas.

He was cornered by a reporter and asked his opinion about the growing oil spill and BP’s failure to contain the mess. Michael thought for a moment and said, “You know, it’s so easy to blame government or business when something like this happens. And I’m not saying that they don’t deserve some of the fault but we are to blame also. When I say we, I mean you and me…the general public. We boast bumper stickers about no off-shore drilling on our gas guzzling autos and keep right on buying the big cars. We move further and further away so we have to drive to get anywhere. Every time the issue of public transportation comes up, the bills fail because folks don’t want to give up the convenience of being able to hop in their cars and go anywhere they want to anytime they want to. Our consumer greed is what has pushed the oil companies to drill more and deeper and in areas where they’ve never been before. That spill is one mile down in the Gulf. It’s never been done and I’m pretty sure that BP didn’t have a lot of time to explore the possibilities of a major spill when they got that rig set up. No one knows how equipment or material will hold up under those extremes of pressure and activity. We need to explore the alternatives and use a little patience before we just start drilling into the core of the earth. Now we are reaping or rather the folks of Louisiana and the surrounding states are reaping the harvest we sowed. “

Michael had tried to go to bed when he got back to the hotel but he couldn’t sleep. He got up and dressed and went to the hospital. He spent some time with Emmet. He was still and cool so unlike his normal self. Michael held his hand and finally just slipped up in the bed and lay beside him for a while. It made him feel almost as though they were just cuddling as they had done so many times before. When the nurse came in to take his vitals he got up and went over to check on Joseph. He was still deep in his morphine slumbers. They were having a hard time keeping him sedated enough to handle his pain and not give him so much they suppressed his breathing. The doctors were trying something new and everyone was totally grossed out. They were using specially bred maggots. The maggots were raised in hyper sterile conditions and they fed on decayed and dying flesh. They were perfect for burn victims and patients like Joseph who had huge open suppurating wounds. But it was creepy especially when you saw his sheet moving and you knew that underneath that sheet were lots and lots of little fat white worms. Michael talked to Joseph. He told him about himself and what it was like growing up with his mother and growing up in Savannah. He told him about meeting Emmet when they were eight and Emmet watching out for him ever since. He had no idea at all if Joseph could hear him but it made him feel like they were establishing a connection.

Finally he went to Brian’s bedside. He sat down in the chair beside his bed. Brian was so still and so white. No one knew why he was still unconscious. He seemed to be just fine. His wounds were healing, he had no fever, he had no other problems that had been overlooked but he didn’t wake up. He was like Sleeping Beauty only in male form. Michael wondered if a kiss would wake him up. He smiled to himself at his foolishness. He reached down and picked up Brian’s hand. His hand was a lot bigger than Michael’s but his hand fit inside it just fine. He held his hand to his cheek and laid his head down on the bed beside Brian’s. The sleep that had eluded him in the ultra comfortable hotel bed overcame him in the chair sitting beside his friend.

Michael woke suddenly. He was still in that twilight area where he wasn’t quite awake but wasn’t still asleep. He knew something had disturbed him but he wasn’t sure what and then he felt it again; a slight pressure on his fingers. He raised his head. Brian was looking at him with a puzzled look on his face. OH SHIT…Brian was looking at him. He smiled and said, “Hey there.”

Brian smiled at him. Michael reached for the carafe next to the bed but he had to do it one-handed because he wasn’t letting go of Brian’s hand and it appeared Brian wasn’t inclined to let go either. He got some water poured, found a straw and held it up to Brian’s mouth with a warning to just take a sip and wet his lips and mouth.

“Michael, you’re okay?”

“I’m better than okay now that you’re awake.”

“You’re holding my hand.”

“You’re damn right I am.”

“Don’t let go.”

Brian went back to sleep. Michael leaned over and gently kissed his mouth.

“Never!”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events at Dallas have changed a lot of lives some for the better but most for the worse. Everyone gets to meet Joseph Parker and the campaign loses one member.

There were moments when Michael felt like he was in a really bad dream and just couldn’t wake up. After Brian’s return to the land of the living, it was just a matter of hours and Emmet began to show signs of waking up. Brian had not stirred again since his exchange with Michael. Michael was afraid to leave Emmet’s side for fear he would miss that wonderful moment when he opened his eyes but he was so tired he was sleeping in the chair with his head on Emmet’s bed.

Ben came in and found him there. He picked him up and carried him out into the lounge and laid him on one of the comfy couches Peter had provided. He went to the supply closet in their private wing and got pillows and a soft fleece blanket. He pulled Michael’s shoes and pants off and covered him up and he never even stirred.

Then Ben went in and sat down in the chair Michael had been using. Emmet’s eyes were rolling back and forth under his lids and he seemed to be moving more than usual. An hour later, he opened his eyes. He was very groggy and had no idea where he was but he knew Ben. When Ben leaned over to kiss him hello he smiled at him and murmured something that sounded like ‘dragons breath’. Ben just kissed him again and told him it was fine with him. He gave him some ice chips and waited until he’d had a chance to get some moisture in his mouth.

“Emmet, how are you feeling?”

“Like I was gang raped by a herd of wooly mammoths.”

“Nope, not a wooly mammoth in sight anywhere.”

“God Ben, I’ve got such a headache I think it’s got its own zip code.”

“I know baby. I’ve got to go let the doctors know you’re awake and I’ll see if I can get you something for that headache.”

“Ben, wait a minute. What happened to me? I’m guessing I’m in a hospital but I can’t remember how I got here.”

“I promise I’ll tell you all about it but I really need to let the docs know you’re awake. We’ve been waiting for you to open your eyes for such a long time now. I’ll be right back.”

When Ben got back with the doctor, Emmet was asleep again but it was obvious that it was a natural sleep and not the death like coma he’d been in before. Doctor Fletcher wanted to know every detail Ben could remember. How he looked, how he talked, did he slur his words? Ben told him he knew who he was and called him by his name. He told him he had a bad headache and he couldn’t remember how he’d got to the hospital. Dr. Fletcher looked happier with each word Ben spoke.

“I’m not about to start ordering him a steak but I think this is a very good sign. This is what I’ve been hoping for. The speech means that the invasive procedure’s we had to do to remove the bone splinters from his brain did not do any extensive damage. If the worst we have to contend with is some lost memories, I will be a very happy doctor.”

Dr. Fletcher threw Ben out of the ICU while he and his interns went over Emmet with a fine tooth comb. Ben could tell through the glass that Em woke up several times and spoke to the doctor. Ben went over to the couch where Michael was sleeping. He thought about waking him up but decided to let him sleep; he obviously needed it.

Two days later Joseph Parker woke up and joined his roommates. And everyone got to know just what kind of a man he was.

He was obviously in pain but he wasn’t complaining or asking for drugs. He also couldn’t remember what had happened that brought him to the hospital but when he suddenly pulled back his sheet and looked down at his chest covered with fat white maggots he completely impressed everyone.

“Maggots! Was I burned? Which one of you is Indian?”

Dr. Jacobs leaned over the bed and carefully examined the feeding area. “What makes you think I’m Indian Mr. Parker?”

“This is an old Indian remedy. They were using maggots to prevent infection and gangrene along with spider webs and honey to stop bleeding long before Columbus came along to disturb things.”

“Well, maybe it’s time we started looking into some of the remedy’s our forefathers used. I’m Dr. Jacobs’s head of the burn unit here at Parkland and you have not been burned. You slid along a Dallas street in a shirt and suit jacket and lost most of the skin on your upper body. We’ve been trying to clean the wounds but they were so extensive, we decided to bring in the big guns to handle your trauma. Are you in pain?”

“Hell yes I’m in pain but I want to know how my little bed partners are doing. Are they keeping the infection down?”

“Mr. Parker, they are not only controlling the infection, they are getting rid of all the dying flesh and leaving clean pink skin behind. You’re going to have some interesting scars but it won’t be nearly as bad as it could have been. Now, I’m going to set up a morphine pump for you so you can control your own pain medication and I want you to use it. You don’t strike me as someone who is going to abuse the drug and I want a continuous level of it in your blood system. Laying there and trying to be brave and tough it out is only going to cause your blood pressure to go up and I refuse to have my good work undone by you stroking out on me.”

“Don’t worry; I know when to follow orders and I’m not going anywhere for a while but could someone please tell me what the hell happened and how I got here and who are all of these people?”

Tracy who had taken a liking to the young man during the hours she had sat with him came over and took a chair beside his bed and began to bring him up to date. When she got through he looked over at Emmet who was in the middle bed.

“I know who you are. I remember you were one of the men I was supposed to be protecting. You’re Mr. Novotny’s business partner and long-time friend. I don’t know who’s in the other bed.”

Brian called out, “It’s me, Brian Kinney, Joseph. Say, can we call you Joe or do you have something else your friends call you?”

“Nah, Joe is fine. My mom always called me Joey but that’s kind of juvenile for a grown man.”

Tracy just smiled at him and said she liked Joey. If he didn’t mind that’s what she would call him and the guys could call him Joe.

“Why are the three of us here in this one room?”

“Because we didn’t know until just a day ago whether the man who shot Brian and Em was acting alone or was part of a group and we wanted the three of you where we could keep you under guard 24/7.”

Michael had come into the room and sat down on the foot of Joe’s bed.

“Oh I guess I should have asked if it’s okay to sit here. Am I hurting you?”

“No sir Mr. Novotny; the stuff in that pump is really good. I’m feeling no pain anywhere.”

Michael smiled at him. “Look Joe, I agree that when we are in public you probably should call us all Mr. but when it’s just us, I’m Michael, he’s Em and Brian is on the other side where you can’t see him just yet. Forget the Mr. You almost got yourself killed taking out a guy on a Harley with a nasty automatic weapon and we don’t forget things like that. Now I’m going to leave you here with Miss Tracy. In your current condition, I think she’s safe with you and you go back to sleep. We need the three of you out of this hospital and back with us again and it’s going to take rest and following orders to get that accomplished.”

That had pretty much been the last quiet peaceful moment they had. Brian didn’t seem to remember the incident with Michael and he treated him just like he had before the shooting. Michael couldn’t get that whispered ‘don’t let go’ out of his mind and it was driving him crazy. The campaign was picking up speed. Peter was pushing him to make a selection of a running mate. He knew he need to settle on a vice-president prospect as quickly as possible but it was hard to concentrate when he was constantly worrying about Em who was getting better every day but was still very confused and so emotional he could cuss, cry and laugh hysterically in the same 15 minute time frame. Now that Brian was conscious, Lindsay was pushing hard to have him released. She wanted to take him back to Pittsburgh to recuperate. Michael knew damn well, she wanted to keep him there and not let him rejoin the campaign and aside from the fact that Brian was as necessary to their success as he was, he also knew he would be miserable without him around.

She won the battle a few days later and they watched with a heavy heart as Brian was removed from their fishbowl and disappeared. Michael was almost glad that Em was so upset because it kept him hopping trying to soothe him. Em was heartbroken at the loss of one of his roommates. He kept telling Michael that the ‘bitch’ would never let him come back to them.

Peter Roca, with his usual courteous persistence made sure they remained in touch. He kept them up to date on Brian’s progress and made sure they got to talk via webcam several times a week. Michael was still campaigning hard but his heart was no longer in the race. He was going through the motions; just waiting for his world to start broadcasting in color again. Right now, it was all a dull gray.

****************

What a difference a few weeks could make. Brian was back but they were still at 6 men; five really. Emmet was not ready to make appearances on stage with the group. It wasn’t a case of stage fright or even cold feet on his part. He became disoriented in large groups of people and the flash bulbs going off gave him horrendous headaches. As much as Michael wanted him by his side again, he wasn’t about to have him put under any stress until he was completely healed.

There had been a problem with Drew and he had withdrawn from active participation in the campaign. He’d left two days before Brian rejoined them.

At first Michael hadn’t really paid any attention to Drew’s odd behavior. He was just too worried about the three men in the glass cage at Parkland. Without Emmet, he more or less was on his own and while he had anticipated spending time with his four closest friends, he found that almost every night he was with Drew. He didn’t even realize it at first until Ben called his attention to the fact that he and Conner and Justin were sort of being left out in the cold. They wanted to give Michael as much space as he needed but they weren’t sure that he realized he was spending every single night with Drew. Michael assured Ben that it hadn’t been his choice and he would start to pay attention. He found that Drew was monopolizing him and almost forcing the other men to stand back and give him free access. That night when they were going back to the hotel, Drew automatically walked over to stand beside Michael who smiled at him and said good night and went over and took Conner by the arm and asked him if he would mind babysitting him that night.

The expression on Drew’s face was almost frightening. He looked as though he would like to take Conner apart limb by limb. Conner who wasn’t afraid of anyone just grinned and said it was about time. He was beginning to have withdrawal symptoms. The two men laughed and left the room. Ben later told Michael that Drew walked out of the hospital and no one saw him again until breakfast time the next morning.

Things went on like that for the next week. Michael was very careful to not exclude him but also to not allow him to freeze the other three men out. By the end of the week, it was apparent they had a big problem. By now, Brian had been back in Pittsburgh for a little over two weeks, Emmet was released and only Joe was still in the hospital. He was going to be released in the next three days and they had made arrangements for him to be moved to their hotel with them. Emmet already was undergoing extensive therapy sessions and Joe would join him just as soon as he got situated.

They knew Brian was working out with a physical therapist every day and making excellent progress although he was still weak and got tired easily. Finally Brian had enough of Lindsay’s constant sniping and told her he was going to rejoin the campaign. She exploded in a most unseemly (for a well bred WASP that is) rage and told him he was never to see any of those freaks again. Brian reminded her that she had tried forbidding him once before and he thought he had made it clear that she had no right to ever forbid him to do anything he considered necessary to his career or his life. She wasn’t about to start now. He called Peter and told him to send the jet for him and he took his guards and had them pack him up and take him to the airport.

Lindsay screamed at him the whole time and threatened to take Gus out of the country and make sure that Brian would never ever see his son again. Brian got very quiet and very cold. He walked up to her and got right in her face and told her that between Peter’s resources and Michael’s connections through his Grassi relatives he could and would find her anywhere in the world and she better think twice about making threats she couldn’t keep.

They were one step away from a divorce when he got on the plane and his last words to her were that she was to make sure Gus had no idea they were fighting or he would file suit against her and ask for complete custody of Gus and she would be a laughing stock in the eyes of the world and not the wonderful wife and mother she had everyone believing she was. It was a cold truce and only her fear of being left out of the excitement of being a national icon kept her in line.

Brian was so happy to see everyone he even hugged Ben and Joseph. He didn’t realize until they all got to the hotel that they were down one man and when he asked for Drew, he was told it was a long story and they would tell him after he got a good night’s rest and they all got back in the groove the next day. He realized how far from well he was when he didn’t even argue about going to bed and was tucked in by 8:30pm that night.

The next day became a blue-print for the days that followed. After some intensive training on Tracy’s part, Peter had learned to consult her before he started arranging the campaigner’s lives. The two of them together had worked out a plan for the continuation of the therapy and everyone’s day started pretty much the same. The three recovering men each had a personal aide who helped them bathe shave and dress. They all had breakfast together and then there were morning therapy sessions that pretty much left all three of them limp as a dishrag. They had another shower, lunch and a nap. They spent the afternoon working. They had accumulated a list of possible VP candidates and had begun putting out feelers. Much to their surprise, they were all accepted and they were working on a schedule of preliminary interviews. Michael was still in tremendous demand and they were stepping up his appearances. The first primaries would be held in three days and then they would know whether they had a chance or they should just pack up their bags and go home.

The second night back, Brian had asked Michael to come to his room and talk with him for a while. He wanted to know what happened to Drew. He was afraid they had a possible problem on their hands. Michael told him about Drew’s odd behavior and how he was monopolizing his time and trying to keep him from spending any time at all with the other three men.

“By ‘spending time’ I’m assuming you mean sleeping with them?”

“Yeah Brian, I do mean sleeping with them. He didn’t want me to be with anyone but him.”

“I didn’t realize you two had that kind of relationship.”

“We were pretty hot and heavy for almost six months. Ben introduced us. Drew was so deep in the closet a bloodhound would have had trouble finding him. For some reason or other, I appealed to his carnal side and he was actually thinking about coming out. I knew he wasn’t really ready so I started weaning him away from me by introducing him to Conner and Justin. I even had him spend a week-end with Emmet. Eventually we both agreed that he needed to sow his wild oats before he made a radical decision about publishing his sexual orientation. I thought we parted friends. It sure seemed that way. We still got together often and the sex was always phenomenal and we had fun out of bed as well as in it. Somewhere along the way, he decided that we should resume our original relationship and become exclusive to each other. I knew the first month I was with him that I cared for him a lot but he wasn’t it for me. I was so worried about the three of you that I didn’t pay any attention to the fact that I was spending every night with him until the other three guys called it to my attention. I made a point after that of choosing between them and including him but it wasn’t enough. “

“Is he in love with you?”

“He thinks he is. Hell he may well be but I’m not in love with him and I’ve never given him any cause to think I was. He was going on the fact that I didn’t object to being with him every night after the attack. He didn’t take into consideration the fact that I was so upset most of the time, I didn’t know who I was with. I just needed a warm body to keep the fears away.”

“What fears Michael?”

“The fear that you or Em might die or even if you did live that you would be damaged in some way by the shooting and it would all be my fault. I care too much for both of you not to want you both to have the best of everything.”

“Em and I have you. That’s pretty much the best as far as we’re concerned and I know if you ask him, he will agree with me. Is Drew going to make trouble for us?”

“No. He would have to reveal his own sexuality if he did and he doesn’t want to take a chance on losing his position or his place in the public eye. Besides, he’s a good guy. He still cares for us all and he doesn’t want to hurt us. He just can’t handle seeing me with anyone but him. He knows that as soon as Em is better, I would be with him as much as possible and he’s never been comfortable with our closeness. Not like Ben or Conner or Justin who realize that we’re a matched set and if you want one of us, you have to take us both.”

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it. You know him a lot better than I do. What excuse did you give to the press?”

“We said he had been discussing the possibility of doing a special for HBO and it had suddenly heated up again because of his exposure during the campaign. The timing sucked but it was just too good an opportunity for him to pass up. Thank God it was all true with one little exaggeration. HBO came up with the idea the week before Drew left. We gave the impression this was a long time in the making.”

“Good. Well I guess I better hit the sack. It doesn’t take much to wear me out right now and while it’s good to be back it’s also very tiring. I’ll let you get back to your ‘man of the evening’.”

Michael left Brian’s bedroom and went to Em’s. All Em was able to do was cuddle but it was more than enough when he thought about almost losing him. He put his arms around his dear friend and thought to himself that he would give anything if Brian would just remember their words when he finally woke up. He was afraid he would never be able to forget them.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up considerably when Brian and Michael steal away for a few days alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that I've played fast and loose with the actual election procedure. The New Hampshire and Ohio primaries usually occur almost a full year before the actual election but this is AU and I needed to establish a certain time line and develop the interaction between my characters so I changed things to suit my needs.

Michael walked into the suite where Brian was sitting on a chaise in the sun streaming through the window. He was walking more and more each day but he still got tired so easily just like Em got confused easily and poor Joe itched all the time and ached. Everyone was keeping up with their rehab and everyone said they were making visible progress every day but Michael still had not drawn an easy breath since he heard the shots a month ago.

He plastered a smile on his face and pulled up a chair beside Brian. “I’ve got a job for you Kinney. I want you to dig up everything you can about this man.”

Brian looked at Michael and grinned. “You do realize I’m a recovering hero don’t you Novotny? Remember a few weeks ago? I was the guy that shoved your ass out of the way so I could take a bullet for you…hell, I took two if I rightly recall and now you want me to work instead of sitting here soaking up this heavenly sunshine.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you very much for knocking me down on a hard concrete sidewalk and ruining my favorite $5,000.00 suit. You’re my hero. Now, are you able to do some simple investigation work or do you think that would be too strenuous for your delicate physique?”

“I don’t know if I should take a chance on straining myself just to do something you could probably do for yourself. Who do you want me to investigate and why?”

“His name is Aaron Hotchner. He’s the head of a BAU division in the FBI. His unit has a phenomenal record of success and I’m thinking of him for my cabinet. The only problem is I can’t decide if I want him to be the Attorney General or the Head of the FBI.”

Brian took the picture Michael handed him. “He’s a good looking man; a little stern perhaps. He doesn’t look like he smiles a lot.”

Michael shook his head. “I guess if you spend every waking moment trying to get inside the head of monsters, you sort of lose your sense of humor. That’s one reason why I’m a little hesitant about approaching him. If he’s too much of a cynic, I don’t want him around. We have to have people who believe we can create changes. Cynical people are sure nothing will ever change.”

“Okay, I’ll put together a dossier on him for you. Have you heard anything yet about the primaries?”

“Nope, nothing’s in as yet. We’re all going to watch the results this evening after dinner. Are you going to grace us with your presence or hide out in your room again?”

“I’m going to be there front row center. This is what we’ve been working our asses off for. If we don’t get some sort of showing, I’m not sure we should even continue in the race. I can’t begin to imagine how much money you and Em not to mention Peter’s foundation has poured into this thing so far. I’m not sure we should keep funding something unless there is a real chance of winning.”

“I think I agree with you but it all depends on the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. If we make a dent there, we almost have to continue.”

*******************************

The primaries were over and it was official. Michael C. Novotny was the leader in both primaries and the media was almost hysterical with anticipation. This was going to be one for the books. People who had not paid any attention to elections for years were calling the public library, the newspapers and Googling to see where and how to register to vote. Michael had to pick a VP and fast. He, Emmet and Brian were going to take three days and go through all the candidates, pick apart their taped/recorded interviews and select the final two for everyone to vote on. Peter had made arrangements for them to use a cabin belonging to a friend of his. He was pretty sure no one knew he even knew this party and they would be free from the constant press coverage that was beginning to get to all of them. Justin, Conner and Ben were going to go home and visit their families and take care of their sorely neglected personal business and they would all meet up in three days ready to hit it hard until the end of the race.

They were right down to the wire. They had all their files ready to be transported and then at the last second Emmet said he wasn’t going with them. Michael was instantly worried.

“Are you ok Em? Why don’t you want to go? Do you feel bad? Do I need to call Dr. Fletcher?”

“Whoa Mitch! For heaven’s sake let me get a word in edgewise here. You’re firing questions at me so fast I can’t keep up with all of them. I’m feeling fine; in fact better than I have in a long long time. I need to stay here because Peter reminded me that we have to set up blind trusts for our personal finances and as complicated as they are, that’s going to take some time. I’ve asked Ben if he minds staying here with me and between the two of us I’m pretty sure we can get most of the background work done; especially with three blessed days of no traveling, no speeches and no damn press vultures snapping flash bulbs in my eyes.”

Michael relaxed a little but he was still not sure but what Em was really sick again and was just trying to keep him from knowing. He hollered for Ben. When Ben came running into the room demanding to know what was wrong, Michael realized he needed to tone his worry down just a notch before he had everyone in the suite up in arms and ready to call their guards.

“Ben, Em says he’s not going with Brian and me because of some legal work you two have to do?”

“Yeah; the blind trusts for both of you. We were going to start on it in Dallas but everything got screwed up in Dallas. Then it was something on the top ten of our ‘todo’ list. Now, it’s imperative that it be done and filed before we get down to hard campaigning.”

“All right if you both think it’s a necessity.”

“Michael, it’s more than a necessity; it’s the law. A President cannot be conducting any business other than the business of the nation while he’s in office. All candidates have to do a blind trust to show good faith and intent. Every other candidate has either finished theirs or at least has a rough draft ready for viewing. We’re the only ones left who haven’t conformed. I promise I will watch him like a hawk, make sure he doesn’t get overly tired, watch out for the headaches and make sure he does his exercises every single day. Scout’s Honor!”

Emmet popped up and said, “Oooh…you were a scout? God I love a man in uniform.” He pretended to swoon and fell gracefully on the couch.

Michael went over and grabbed his idiot friend and kissed him until he couldn’t catch his breath.

“You will be the death of me yet, Emmet Honeycutt. Now you behave and don’t work too hard and remember to do everything Tracy tells you to do. Do you hear me?”

“Yes mother, I hear you. Sheesh, you would think I was four years old again the way everyone treats me.”

Ben grinned at Brian and Michael and walked over to the couch. He dropped down next to Emmet, put his arm around his shoulders and said, “And I bet you were just the cutest baby boy in the entire town of Savannah.”

Em laughed at all of them and said, “You got that right Big Ben. I was adorable and I just got better with age.”

While everyone was laughing including Ben, he was also thinking, ‘yeah you certainly have and I have three days alone with you. This has got to be a sign for me to make a move.’

Getting Brian and Michael out of the hotel was actually sort of fun. They took their luggage and their considerable number of file boxes down to the sub basement of the hotel. There they loaded everything into a large delivery van that was an exact duplicate of one of the vendor’s for the hotel. Joe was their driver. He was dressed in the uniform of the wine shop and when he drove out of the basement no one gave him a second glance. He even waved at the group of press people loitering around the back exit of the hotel. He triggered the mike connecting the front of the van to the back and told his cargo that they were out on the road to get comfortable and he would have them in the woods in no time.

******************

Peter had outdone himself. The ‘cabin’ was a luxurious two bedroom building nestled in the side of a hill. They had killer views of the valley below and the magnificent sunsets. The freezer was loaded with gourmet meals that just needed to be nuked and they were ready to go. The fridge had been stocked with fresh fruits and veggies, lots of milk, juice and there was a wine refrigerator next to the fridge that held some truly fine beverages. There was also a good selection of ice cold beer. After they looked everything over and Joe had gone through the place checking out every single square inch he grinned at his two charges and said, “Are you two actually going to be able to work in all this? Hell, I’d be down there at that lake fishing before most folks even hear their alarm go off.”

Brian laughed out loud and told Joe the lake was all his. Then he asked what the arrangements were. Joe said he would be staying at another small cabin, not nearly as big or fancy as this one but still very luxurious for a cabin in the woods. It was about one mile from them. They were to call in to him every morning and every night and he would be able to get to them in less than three minutes. No one was expecting any trouble but Joe had been promoted to head of Michael’s security team and he took his position seriously. No one was going to get anywhere near Mr. Novotny and Mr. Kinney on his watch but he also realized that both of them needed some space. They had been guarded within an inch of their lives and everyone was weary of the constant vigilance. This would give the three of them a chance to relax and enjoy just being a regular person for a brief period. The last thing Joe did before he left them to themselves for the next three days was to build a roaring fire in the fireplace in the living room and then he brought in enough wood to last them a week let alone three nights. Michael asked him if he would stay and have dinner with them and he thought about it for a second and then said while he would sure enjoy their company, he was tired. He needed to soak in a medicated bath (he still itched intensely) and he wanted to get a solid night’s sleep for once. Both men agreed that sounded like a plan. He left knowing he had done everything possible to make his two bosses comfortable and safe.

*****************************

After Joe left, there was silence for a moment and then both men began to talk at the same time. They laughed and Brian told Michael to go ahead.

“I just wanted to know if you wanted to get started now or rather after dinner or if you would like to enjoy one night off and hit it hard tomorrow?”

“I think we’ve both earned a night off. Let’s see what’s in that freezer and then just relax for a while.”

They found all sorts of goodies and decided on pot roast for both of them. They threw together a salad, put some rolls in the oven and opened a bottle of Pahlmeyer Merlot 2006. Brian knew the wine was $90.00 a bottle and one of the best merlot’s every made. They decided that such a great spread demanded a little more class than a TV tray so they set a small table in front of the fire in the living room. They transferred the food onto china and used napkins and silverware. Michael even went outside and found some sort of lavender colored flower that was blooming profusely around the cabin. He picked a bunch and put them in a crystal vase he found in the kitchen and put it in the middle of their table.

Brian raised his eyebrow when he came out of the kitchen with their dinner and saw the table with flowers, candles and all dressed with china and silver. He didn’t say a word just told Michael he would pour the wine while he washed his hands and then they could dig in.

For the rest of his life, Michael would remember that night. It was pure magic. The fire in the fireplace threw shimmering lights around the room which was lit by all the candles they could find. They didn’t use the room lights. There was a Bose system wired into every room in the cabin and they found a library of CD’s of all most every type of music ever created. They loaded the changer with Dire Straits, Elvis, the Who, Roy Orbison and Diana Krall and set it on random play. They talked. They talked about Gus, the campaign, Emmet, the Chicago four, Drew and what they wanted the future to bring. They talked about everything EXCEPT the elephant in the room; the growing connection between the two of them. Finally after Brian had yawned for the third time in five minutes, Michael got up and started clearing the table. Brian grabbed his arm and asked him what he was doing.

“I’m clearing all this away and you are going to bed. It’s been a long day and this mountain air combined with that fantastic wine has just about put you out. Do you need any help getting yourself ready for bed?”

“You’re not going to do this all by yourself. After all, I helped make the mess and you’re just as tired as I am and you know it.”

“Okay, we do this together but then you are going to bed and so am I.”

They got everything into the kitchen, straightened up the living room, put out the candles, banked the fire and decided to hand wash the dishes instead of loading the dishwasher. Michael washed and Brian dried and Michael wanted this moment to last for the rest of his life. He thought this had to be the closest thing to heaven you could find on this earth. Full of food and great wine, lovely music playing in the background and being alone with the most beautiful man on earth. It just didn’t get any better than this. They both went to bed prepared to toss and turn all night long and both men were asleep the minute their heads hit the pillows.

The next morning they were awake at 7:45am and got a light snack and then did Brian’s exercise’s. Afterwards they had a shower and a more substantial breakfast. Brian took a 30 minute power nap while Michael laid out the files on the big dining table. As soon as Brian woke up they started. By 5:30 that afternoon, they were almost through two thirds of the candidates. They were doing good work and it was amazing how well they did work together. Sometimes it was almost like reading minds. They would come to a conclusion at the same time and it really helped winnow out the chafe and leave only the lovely good stuff.

Brian was looking at the last file in his pile and getting ready to declare a halt to that day's work when he realized that Michael was no longer sitting at the table. Brian had moved to a more comfortable chaise lounge a few hours earlier but Michael had stayed at the table. Michael was walking back and forth in the living room. Brian tried to figure out what had set off his spidey sense then he realized; Michael wasn’t walking…he was stalking. And he, Brian, appeared to be the prey. He’d seen Michael do this same thing before in Chicago and then back at their suite after the Chicago four had joined the campaign. Most of the time Michael would let the sleeping arrangements work out however they did but once in awhile, he wanted something or someone special. Then he would do this ‘stalking’ maneuver. He would walk back and forth, shortening the distance between him and his choice until he was right in front of them and after he flashed that sexy smile of his, no one ever said ‘NO’.

Brian had never been the object of one of Michael’s ‘stalk’s before and he found it strangely arousing. He could understand why no one ever said no. To be pursued by someone as handsome as Michael was certainly satisfying but also just the sexual excitement in the air was arousing. He put the file folder down and looked at his stalker.

“Michael, what are you doing?”

“Nothing, Brian. Nothing at all. Just stretching my legs. I’ve been sitting down too long. Why? Does it bother you for me to walk?”

“No. You walking doesn’t bother me; you stalking me does.”

“Why Brian, what do you mean ‘stalking’? I’m not stalking you. We’re both right here in the same room. How can I be stalking you?”

“Come off it Romeo. I’ve seen you do this before and you always nail your prey. What I want to know is when did you decide I was prey?”

Michael was right by the chaise now. He looked directly into Brian’s eyes as he carefully swung his leg over Brian’s body and settled down across his lap. He sat back taking his weight off Brian’s crotch.

“When I shook your hand in the foundation conference room and felt a shock go through my body. When I heard you tell Peter I must have picked up static electricity from the rug and I shocked you. When I realized the floor was polished hardwood. Not a carpet in sight. All the nights when we worked together side by side and I felt your heart beating and mine synched up to it. All the days when we appeared on stage together and you always put your hand on my arm when we walked off stage. When I felt your body laying on top of me and realized that the warmth covering me was your blood; yours and Emmet’s. When I sat by your bedside day after day praying you would open those beautiful hazel eyes and look at me and tell me you didn’t hate me for dragging you into this mess. When you woke up.”

Brian interrupted Michael. “I asked if you were okay.”

“I said I was better than okay now that you were awake. You said…”

Brian interrupted again. “You’re holding my hand.”

Michael smiled. “You’re damn right I am.”

Brian looked into those dark eyes that had haunted his dreams for months now. “Don’t let go.”

Michael ran his tongue across his lips and Brian felt himself get hard. Michael leaned forward and they never stopped looking into each other’s eyes. Just before their lips met Michael breathed ‘Never’ and Brian swallowed the word in the heat of their first real kiss.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spontaneous Combustion!!!!

Michael was in a world of his own; a beautiful world of sensation. He had no idea how long he’d been sitting across Brian’s lap kissing him but he never wanted it to end. He had never tasted a mouth as sweet and hot as Brian’s. He wanted to get lost inside that mouth; to map every centimeter with his tongue until he could tell exactly where he was at all times. He thought he could do this forever; that is until he felt Brian shift under him and let out a small muffled moan. He realized he was pressing down into Brian’s body and was probably causing him pain on his bad side.

He broke the kiss immediately and sat up taking his weight off Brian.

“Christ Brian, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? Are you okay? I didn’t mean to cause you any pain.”

Brian reached up and pulled Michael’s head down to his waiting lips. He kissed him again and said, “You did not hurt me and I’m just fine but I do think we ought to take this somewhere a little more comfortable.”

“Ahhhh a little more comfortable. You want to take this…uh does that mean you want…I mean…you aren’t mad at me for kissing you?”

Brian grinned up at Michael and kissed him again.

“No I’m mad as hell at you for kissing me and I’m going to file a sexual harassment suit sometime in the next fifty or sixty years. You idiot; did you fail to notice me kissing you back. If so, I’m pretty damned disappointed. I’m generally considered to be a damn good kisser.”

“Oh baby, you are more than a ‘good kisser’; you’re a world class kisser. Top of the line kisser. The best of the best kisser. Can we do a little more kissing just so I can make sure I’ve got the facts straight?”

“You can pretty much do anything you want if you will just get off me and let me stretch my legs before I get a cramp that stops everything in its tracks.”

Michael moved so fast, Brian got the impression of a blur and then he was free. Michael carefully swung his legs over the side of the chaise and put them on the floor. He knelt down and began to rub Brian’s calves. Brian put his hands over Michaels and held them for a moment.

“Help me up. I’m a little stiff.”

Michael leaned forward and laid his cheek on the prominent bulge in the front of Brian’s jeans. “A little stiff has to be the understatement of the year. You my friend are hard as a rock and I’m getting wet just thinking about what’s under here.”

Brian fastened his hand in Michael’s thick black hair and gently pulled his head out of his crotch. He leaned forward and carefully traced Michael’s upper lip with the tip of his tongue. He smiled happily at the sound of the soft moan that filled the room. Then he just as gently traced the lower lip. Then he licked at both lips and ran his tongue back and forth across the soft meaty insides of the two lips. Michael was shaking but he didn’t rush him or try to take control of the kiss. Finally, Brian fastened his lips over Michaels and began to gently suck on them while he was stabbing his tongue between them going deeper and deeper into Michael’s mouth with every movement. Michael was making all sorts of lovely sounds and Brian really wanted to hear them go on forever. He finally reluctantly pulled back.

“You’re going to have to move back so I can stand up.”

Michael got to his feet. He was a little shaky. He reached down and took Brian’s hands in his and helped him stand and waited while he slowly straightened his body and got all the kinks out of his damaged left side. When he had his balance back, they started moving out of the great room of the cabin.

“Do you want to go to your room or mine?”

Brian grinned that lop-sided grin of his that Michael was beginning to think was his most favorite expression in the whole world and said, “Mine; it’s closest.”

They entered Brian’s room and he slowly sat down on the side of the bed but Michael held up his finger and told him to wait just a minute. He ran out of the room leaving a stunned Brian Kinney just sitting there. He was back in a minute with a small leather pouch which he sat on the nightstand on the right side of the bed. He told Brian to get up and move over to the other side of the bed. When Brian asked him why, he said so they could face each other with Brian lying on his good side. Brian moved a lot faster than he thought he could. But when he got to the other side of the bed, he wasn’t sure what to do then so he just sat there and looked at Michael. Michael grinned and walked over and knelt down and moved between Brian’s knees.

He slid his loafers off and then his socks. He reached up and took the soft cashmere sweater Brian was wearing by the hem and slowly began to pull it over his head. Then he got up and took Brian’s hands and gently pulled him up. He reached around behind him and pulled back the comforter and piled the pillows into a sort of nest to raise Brian’s head and shoulders. Then he gently pressed him back down on the bed. He swung his legs up at the same time he applied very gently pressure to get him to lie down. He stood up and started to pull his own long-sleeved jersey over his head but stopped when Brian let out a small sound of protest.

“What? What’s the matter? Don’t you want me to take my clothes off?”

“Yes but I wanted to take them off myself.”

Michael leaned down and gave him a sweet short kiss and then said, “I promise next time you can do anything you want. I’ll be your own personal blow up doll and let you explore to your heart’s content but this time, I’m just a little needy. Is that okay with you?”

Brian’s beautiful hazel eyes had opened up at the words ‘next time’ and almost popped at ‘personal blow up doll’ but they darkened when Michael said he was ‘needy’. He nodded his head in agreement and Michael shed his clothes quickly and efficiently. He was watching Brian closely when he pulled his jeans and briefs off at the same time. When he stood up with his erection proudly standing out from his body, he noticed a drop of cum glistening at the slit in the head. He deliberately caught the drop on his finger and started to raise his hand to his lips but Brian reached out and grabbed his hand. He pulled the finger with the pearly drop down to his mouth and sucked it inside. Michael’s cock jumped so hard it slapped against his belly.

Brian let go of his finger and looked at Michael’s cock which was now so swollen it was a dusky dark red. He asked Michael if he was average size for a man. Michael told him he was a little larger. He said the only dick’s he’d ever seen bigger than his were Ben’s and Emmet’s. Brian asked him if he was supposed to wear his slacks and Michael told him no he would take care of that little problem right then. He opened Brian’s belt buckle and pulled it slowly out of the loops. Then he undid the button and carefully rolled down the zipper. He grabbed the slacks and Brian’s briefs at the waist and told him to raise his hips a little. When he pulled the two off, he almost fell down on the bed. Brian’s cock was a thing of beauty. Michael was pretty sure it was a tie as to whether his ass or his cock could be considered the eighth wonder of the modern world. But the two of them together were mouthwatering. Brian was the sort of man who was equally gorgeous in or out of his clothes; it was just that out of them, he inspired lust and envy. Well of course, he inspired lust and envy in them also. Let’s face it; Brian Kinney was one hot, gorgeous man no matter how you swung. Michael would have died with happiness if he knew that Brian was thinking exactly the same thing about him.

He never took his eyes off that magnificent cock as he walked around the bed and got in on the other side. He carefully pulled the covers up over both of them and then moved over until he was flat against Brian. They were skin to skin for the first time and the heat generating under those covers could have taken care of a small New England village for several days.

Now that they were actually in the bed together without clothes the whole situation was becoming very real to Brian. He was nervous and his voice shook a little when he reminded Michael he’d never been with a man before and had no idea what to do.

“I know exactly what to do Brian and most of all, I want to do it all with you. If you’re concerned we don’t have to have full penetration sex the first time. We can just jack each other off until you’re more comfortable with the feel of a man’s body against yours.”

“Oh I’m not worried about the feel.” Brian pulled Michael tightly against him to prove his point. “I’m pretty much delighted with the feel of your body against mine…it’s the whole inside mine that has me worried. After seeing you, I’m not sure that monster of yours will fit inside me without hurting like hell. I thought sex was supposed to be fun and satisfying; not painful each time.”

Michael laughed softly against Brian’s throat where he was nibbling at a particularly delectable bit of flesh. “I promise that not only will I fit inside you but you will fit inside me and that ramming rod you’re carrying around is bigger than mine. Not only will it fit inside me but I’m almost drooling at the thought of having you there.”

“Michael, I’m ….”

Michael silenced Brian with another open mouthed wet kiss and for the next few minutes only soft moans and the sound of little pants were heard in the large cabin. When they broke apart for air this time, Michael told Brian to stop worrying about who was going to do whom just enjoy doing whatever he wanted. He reached over and grabbed the leather pouch he’d brought from his room. He opened it up and pulled out a bottle of Astroglide. He squeezed some out on his palm and then he reached down and gently began to stroke Brian’s dick. He pulled on it a little and got Brian to move closer to him. The head of his cock rubbed against Brian’s causing him to catch his breath. Michael carefully fitted the two cocks together so the sensitive undersides of each were rubbing together. Then he put his hand around both cocks and began to stroke them. Brian let out a loud ‘Awww’ and then began to move in time with Michael’s strokes. He put his hand under the covers and over Michael’s and the two of them stroked each other to a most satisfying orgasm.

It was a while before either man was able to talk coherently. Michael asked him if he was alright; if it was satisfying for him. Brian licked his lips and was almost steady when he replied he was more than alright and it was probably the best sex he’d had in a long time. Michael kissed him and started to get out of bed. Brian grabbed him and asked him where he was going. Michael said he was going to get a couple of washcloths and clean them up before they got cum all over the bed sheets. Brian settled back down and waited for Michael to return.

He smiled at his new lover and said he could get used to this kind of service. Michael just laughed at him and told him to enjoy it while he could. He would be doing his share before the three days were over. Michael slipped back into the bed and into Brian’s arms. They just lay there together occasionally stealing kisses or stroking a hand over a warm willing body. Brian seemed to love Michael’s ass. He kept rubbing it and squeezing his cheeks. Finally Michael asked him if he was fixated on his ass. Brian laughed a little and admitted he probably was.

“I never in my life thought I would find a man’s ass a thing of beauty but man, yours is like catnip and I feel like a tomcat.”

“That’s funny because I was thinking the same thing about yours. You have a beautiful tight butt. But my God Brian, your cock is spectacular. You must be nine inches long and I can’t begin to guess how big around you are. You give new meaning to the term ‘cocks man’.”

Brian rolled over and laid his head on Michael’s shoulder. “Michael?”

“What?”

“How long does it take you to rearm?”

“Rearm?”

“You know. How long before you can come again?”

Michael laughed out loud. “You know, neither one of us has been a teenager for a long time now but I think under the circumstances, I could rise to the occasion again if that’s what you want.”

“Yeah, that’s what I want only this time I want it all. I want us to be real lovers and not just give each other a hand job. Even if it was a really outstanding hand job.”

“You’re still a little scared aren’t you?”

“Yes I am but I’m even more afraid of not being with you completely.”

“Do you want to be the top? Obviously I’m used to this and you’re not so I know how good it’s going to feel even if there is a little discomfort at the beginning.”

“No, I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m afraid I’ll lose control and hurt you. I know you won’t hurt me any more than you absolutely have to and I’m taking you at your word that it won’t hurt for very long.”

Michael was so touched at Brian’s faith in him that it took him a few seconds to control his voice and get it steady before he raised up and gently pushed Brian over on his back. He spent a long time kissing him and then he moved over him and began to lick and kiss his body. He paid a lot of attention to his neck and ears then he moved down to Brian’s nipples. He made one little side trip to the scars on Brian’s shoulders and gently covered them with kisses and little licks. He took his left nipple between his teeth and gently pulled on it while tickling it with the tip of his tongue. Brian let out a strangled gasp and Michael immediately let go of the nipple and fastened his mouth around the whole thing and began to suck. When he felt Brian twitch a little, he moved over to the other nipple and repeated the whole process. He took a long time with Brian’s nipples and left them hard and red and wet when he moved on down to his stomach. Again he took a side trip to the scar on Brian’s left side and worshiped it with his mouth for a few seconds before going back to nip at the tender flesh around his belly button. He played there for a few more minutes before moving down even lower and pulling Brian’s left leg up. He began to lick the junction where the leg met the body and alternated licks with little nips. He never bit hard enough to hurt just enough to make Brian squirm and by now it was an almost constant squirm. After paying careful attention to the other leg, he spread Brian’s legs apart and began to mouth his large testicles. When he took one in his mouth Brian let out a loud gasp and said, “Oh my God.” He paid a lot of attention to Brian’s balls and then lifted the heavy sack and began to bite the smooth piece of skin that lay just behind the balls and ran right up to his butt hole. He nibbled and licked until Brian was moving constantly and could not stay still. Then he stopped and moved back to the one thing he wanted most of all. He took that gorgeous cock in his mouth and began to make love to it. He licked and nibbled and sucked. He opened his mouth and went down on the thing as far as he could and then closed his lips around it and sucked hard as he pulled back off it. He did that over and over again until Brian was almost out of his mind. Finally, he told him to turn over. He reached for the Astroglide and got a large amount on his fingers and began to rub around and across Brian’s small virgin hole. He took his time. He didn’t hurry anything but by the time he got three fingers in his ass and stroked over his prostate a few times Brian was cussing him. He told him it would be easier on him if he took him this way from the back but Brian wanted to be face to face. He wanted to see Michael’s face when he took him.

He turned Brian over and let him get comfortable. He raised his right leg and draped it over his shoulder and put on a condom. He coated himself liberally with the lube and then placed the head of his dick against the small hole. He told Brian to take a deep breath and hold it. The he told him to let it all out at once. When he did, he slipped the head of his cock inside his body. Brian was so surprised he just froze.

“Are you in me?”

“Just the head that’s all. How do you feel? Does it hurt?”

“No, it feels funny like I’m stretched.”

“You are baby. You are stretched. I’m going to try to go in some more. Take another deep breath and hold it.”

Again he had Brian exhale all at once and he pushed in a little more. Slowly, oh so slowly, he breached his ass and moved inside his body. It took a while but at last he was in up to his balls and he just rested there. His hand was rubbing Brian’s butt and every once in a while he would let his fingers run around the point where he was firmly planted inside him. At last Brian relaxed a little and Michael began to move very slowly. Just almost a rocking motion at first that only moved him a fraction of an inch but then as Brian began to respond and pull Michael down for kisses he began to move a little more boldly. He changed the angle just a hair and when Brian let out a loud, “Jesus Christ” he knew he’d found his sweet spot.

He pulled his knees up a little and began to move in and out changing his speed but always making sure he hit that little nexus of nerves every time he came into his body. He had no idea where he got the control or the restraint but he knew this was something they would both remember all the rest of their lives and he didn’t want to miss a thing. He certainly didn’t want to ruin it for Brian by losing himself and being too rough. He was so wrapped up in the wonder of the feel of being inside someone he adored as much as he did Brian that it took him a minute to realize that Brian was grabbing his butt and pulling him into him. He looked down at this beautiful man and knew he’d found the one person he’d been looking for all his life. The one man he could and would be faithful to forever. He didn’t stop to think about the campaign or the fact that Brian was married or had a son or even that he’d been straight up until a short time ago. He just knew he was the one for him. He looked at Brian’s eyes and found them looking directly into his.

“Are you okay? Am I hurting you?”

“You’re killing me. I want to come. Dear God above I want to come so bad I think I’m going to die. I feel like I’m coming apart nerve by nerve. Michael make me come.”

Michael leaned over and kissed him and reached for his cock. He stroked the beautiful thing in time with the strokes into his body and sure enough, they both came and almost at the same time.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Morning After and a new twist to physical therapy.

Brian was one of those people who woke up aware of himself and his surroundings. He didn’t know it then but he would later; Michael was the exact opposite. He didn’t want to wake up because usually he had wonderful dreams and he wanted to stay in that dream world awhile longer.

Brian was aware alright. He was aware that he was wrapped around a body that wasn’t his wife’s or his son and those were the only two people he ought to be sharing a bed with. He opened his eyes and looked down at the messy head of black hair lying on his chest. Ever since the shooting Brian had learned to sleep either on his right side or almost on his back with his left side propped up on pillows. It forced him to wake up if he tried to roll over on his bad left side and while it was okay to lie on that side, he needed to get there carefully and make sure he had everything lined up with no unnecessary pulling on his muscles. He was not completely on his back and he was propped. He knew he hadn’t done it so it had to be Michael making sure he was not going to be hurt while sleeping.

Brian gently stretched trying not to wake his bed partner but he must have disturbed him somehow because Michael rolled out of his arms and over to the other side of the bed. Brian decided to take advantage of the situation and got up and headed for the bathroom.

He stood at the toilet waiting for his bladder to empty and his morning woody to subside. He cataloged his aches and pains and found they didn’t seem to be as bad as they usually were although he had a few new ones that hadn’t existed prior to last night. The most noticeable was his butt. When he contracted his butt cheeks, he got a painful twinge that was also strangely satisfying. He thought about how he’d gotten that particular pain and couldn’t help smiling. Sex with a man was absolutely nothing like sex with a woman. Well of course that goes without saying but it wasn’t just the physical aspects of the act. Brian knew he had never been as aggressive or as demanding with a woman. He remembered their first time together and telling Michael to make him come. And he did…oh yes he certainly did make him come and that wasn’t the last time that night.

Brian remembered Michael saying they were both a long way from being teenagers but you couldn’t have proved it by last night. If you counted the initiating mutual hand job they had managed to climax five times in one night. Not bad for a thirty-five year old man enjoying his first attempt at man on man sex. Brian thought about the night and found himself turning a little red. He didn’t ever remembering blushing about anything but what he and Michael had done together last night would have made the most debauched deviant blush.

Brian could not believe he had been so wanton and…what was it Michael had said…oh yeah…needy. He was certainly that alright. He had laid there gasping for air after their first full penetration sex and tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he had a man’s cock in his ass and he didn’t want it to leave. Michael started to lift himself off Brian and he wouldn’t let him go. He wrapped his arms around him and made him stay right where he was until he felt Michael begin to slide out of his relaxed hole. Michael had told him then that he had to move and fast before the condom slid off. He’d gotten up, discarded the used rubber and took the washcloths they’d used after their spectacular hand job back into the bathroom. He came back to the bedroom with warm wet cloths and again, carefully cleaned Brian up. Then he asked Brian to roll over on his good side. Brian asked why and he said he wanted to check his asshole and make sure it was okay. Brian didn’t roll over; he sat straight up in bed.

“You want to look at my butthole? Did I understand you correctly?”

“Yes Brian, I want to look at your butthole. What’s the matter…are you suddenly shy now. You do realize I was just in that butthole up to my cojones and you didn’t seem to be worried about it then.”

“Yeah, well fucking it and looking at it are two different things. Why do you want to look at it?”

“Because this was your first time having butt sex and as you pointed out, I am larger than average. I want to make sure I didn’t tear you or cause any damage.”

“Tear me? What the hell do you mean tear me?”

“Brian have you ever had a really hard bowel movement and noticed a little blood on the tissue when you wiped. Then you were sore the rest of the day.”

“Well, sure; everyone over the age of 15 has probably done that.”

“Well, it’s because the rectum is really very fragile and it tears easily. Unlike women, we have no mucus membranes there to provide moisture; that’s why gay men use lube by the buckets and pay attention to prepping their partner. Well they do if they have any conscious at all. Now are you going to let me check you out or do you want to play the fainting Victorian heroine for the rest of the night?”

Brian reluctantly rolled over and waited while Michael carefully spread his cheeks apart and checked him out. He was about to complain again when suddenly Michael kissed his butt cheek and then nibbled on it. He moved over to the other cheek and gave it the same attention and Brian was amazed to discover there was a direct connection between his butt cheeks and his cock. There had to be because his cock was getting hard again. He would have bet money he wouldn’t get another erection for a week at least. When Michael stopped, he was disappointed and wiggled his butt hoping he could get him to continue. Michael laughed at him and told him he was amazing.

“Oh yeah, what’s so amazing?”

“You are just plain gorgeous all over. You have the cutest little asshole. Even now stretched the way it is it still looks like a rosebud.”

There was a pause and then Michael shook his head and said he was beginning to sound like a breeder. Brian had an idea what a breeder was but right then, he wanted more of the kissing and nibbling and he wiggled his butt at his bed partner again. Michael asked him if he was familiar with the term ‘rimming’. Brian looked over his shoulder at him and asked him if that was what he was doing to him.

“Not hardly. Rimming is so much more than just a kiss and a nibble.”

“Are you going to show me?”

“Eventually.”

“Why not now?”

“Because rimming is the most intimate act any two people can do together; even more than sex. I don’t like the taste of lube and I didn’t bring any edible lube so until you’ve had a shower and I mean a thorough shower if you know what I mean, I won’t be rimming you.”

Brian threw back the covers. Michael grabbed him and asked him where he was going.

“I’m going to take a shower and if by thorough you mean an enema, I’m even willing to do that.”

Michael laughed at him and leaned down and kissed him. He pulled back and looked Brian in the eyes.

“We have all the time in the world. Hell, are you going to try out every single sex act possible between two men in one night? Don’t you want to save a little for later?”

Brian looked at him and then relaxed back on the pillows.

“This whole thing seems so unreal to me. I’m afraid that it’s just a dream and I’m gonna wake up and you’ll be in your room and I’ll be right here alone without you. I guess I want to create as many memories as possible before I wake up.”

Michael blinked several times. He didn’t want Brian to know his words had almost made him cry. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to him and it let him know that Brian was really interested in him and not just curious about the whole man on man sex thing. He’d met more than his share of guys who were. He crawled back into the bed and took Brian in his arms.

“I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere until you tell me to. I’ve been fixated on you since the moment I met you and this is like a dream come true for me too. I want to make love to you all night long but this is your first time and as beautiful and gorgeous as that hole of yours is, it’s also red and swollen so we have to take things a little easy at first. From the way you’re behaving I’m sort of getting the idea that you have ‘rearmed’ so to speak? Yes?”

“Yes I have!”

“Then I’m going to have to do something about that that doesn’t involve pounding away at your backside again.”

Michael leaned over and kissed Brian’s neck and gently mouthed his Adams apple. He’d discovered early on that Brian was incredibly sensitive around his neck and ears which suited him just fine. Because of the difference in their heights, Michael could snuggle his face into Brian’s neck and suck and kiss and lick to his heart’s content. He found Brian’s pulse and gently bit into the flesh over the spot. He sucked hard enough to leave a mark. He knew he shouldn’t but the idea of marking Brian as his territory was irresistible. Reluctantly he left his feast and traveled down his body. As he had before, he stopped at both scar sites and gently kissed and licked the puckered flesh.

Brian raised his head and asked him why he did that.

“Because it’s a visible reminder that you’re alive and you’re here with me. They’re like medals; a testament to your bravery and stubbornness. “

Brian looked at him for a moment and then he pulled him back up his body and kissed him like it was the first time all over again. When they finally came up for air, Michael teased him that now he’d made him lose his place so he was going to have to start all over again. Brian just shook his head no and pushed his head back down to where he’d been when they took their little side trip.

Michael loved oral sex. He loved getting it and he loved giving it. He was very very good at giving it and he was about to prove that very fact to Brian Kinney. By the time he’d completed his worship of Mr. Kinney’s cock they were both almost crazy with desire. Michael finished his performance by going all the way down on that beautiful big cock and taking it all the way down his throat. He relaxed his throat and then gently hummed around the thick member. Brian let out a strangled scream and shot a load that almost choked Michael. Thank heavens he’d had the good sense to bring some hand towels with him when he’d returned from the bathroom and he’d snagged one as he started his trip down Brian’s body because just the taste and smell of his lover had him aroused even before he’d gotten down to business. When Brian let go, so did Michael in the hand towel.

Sometime later when they were both able to form complete sentences Brian told him he was sure he could guarantee world peace just by offering a blow job to everyone who agreed to sign a peace treaty. Michael laughed so hard he almost choked.

Brian realized he was standing in front of the toilet daydreaming about last night and decided he was really being stupid. Why stand there on cold tiles when he had a comfortable bed and a warm body to share it with.

He went back to bed and carefully arranged his pillows before he crawled into his nest. He gently pulled on Michael’s shoulder until he rolled over on his back. Then he gently pulled him over on his side and up against his body. When he got through, he had Michael right back where he was when he woke up the first time; lying across his body with his head right under Brian’s chin. Brian let out a contented sigh and began to stroke Michael’s body with his left hand. His head was propped up on his right hand and he could watch Michael wake up. Those big dark eyes of his were soft and hazy with sleep. He realized Brian was awake and looking at him and he smiled a sleepy smile at him.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Not too long; just enough to go to the bathroom.”

“Why are you watching me?”

“I wasn’t so much watching you as wondering what’s going to happen now; I mean with the campaign and all.”

“Why should this have anything to do with the campaign?”

“Well it could get awkward.”

“I don’t think I understand. What would get awkward and why?”

Brian looked at Michael then with a little sort of bored smirk said, “Well I’ve had you now.”

Michael tried to hang on to his smile but he was screaming inside. ‘No, No please no. Don’t let this happen.’

“And?”

Brian took the arm that had been propping up his head and slid it under Michael’s neck. He used his left arm to slip around Michael’s waist and pull him up against his body.

“And I don’t think I can ever let you go now.” He kissed Michael; one of their ‘let’s start something’ kisses.

Michael kissed him back at first and then he pulled back and said, “You son-of-a-bitch. You did that on purpose didn’t you?”

“Did what on purpose?”

“Made me think you were an asshole who just wanted to get laid and now we’re through. You did it on purpose.”

Brian laughed at him. He hugged him hard. “Yes I did do it on purpose but Good God Michael. After last night how could you possibly think I didn’t want you? I’m pretty sure I made it very clear to you just exactly how much I wanted you. I think I made it clear five times if I rightly remember.”

Michael pulled out of Brian’s arms and Brian just stared at him. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the bathroom and drain my bladder. Then I’m going to brush my teeth since you are all minty fresh and I feel like I’ve got dragon’s breath. Then I’m going to come back to bed and figure out how to make you pay for scaring me like that.”

Brian lay back down. “How many condoms did you bring with you in that little bag of yours?”

“I’m not sure. That’s my normal travel bag and I usually keep a dozen in there. Why?”

“I’m just trying to figure out if we have enough left for a proper apology that’s all.”

***************************

Brian held Michael to his promise that if he let Michael have his way the first time, he could treat him like his own special blow up doll. He was currently mapping Michael’s body like Stanley exploring the dark continent of Africa for the first time. He had touched and felt and stroked and licked every square inch of skin and Michael was long past the point where he was talking in whole sentences. Now it was separate words like ‘more’ and ‘yes’ and ‘right there’ and ‘Oh God’. He decided he wanted to try to suck Michael off and what he lacked in technique, he more than made up for in enthusiasm. He did know from personal experience to keep his lips over his teeth but he couldn’t get the hang of relaxing his throat to take Michael in as deep as he wanted. He discovered once he started that having a man’s dick in your mouth all depended on who the man was. He had loved Michael’s taste since the first time he’d tasted his mouth and last night when he’d grabbed Michael’s finger with the drop of his cum and put it in his own mouth he’d been fixated on trying to get more of that delicious salty taste. It sort of reminded him of the taste of fresh oysters and he did love oysters on the half-shell. He finally settled for taking him in until he hit the back of his throat and then pulling off with a steady firm suction. He was a little surprised when Michael tried to pull him off his special treat.

“What? Am I hurting you?”

“Good God no, you’re not hurting me. You’re driving me crazy and I’m about to blow. Since this is the first time for you I wanted to give you a chance to pull off rather than get a mouthful of cum before you’re ready.”

“Michael, I’ve been ready since last night. Now stop interrupting me and concentrate.”

Brian went back to his task and within seconds he felt Michael begin to shake and then his mouth was full of the wonderful taste of his lover’s cum. He did swallow and found it was not repulsive at all but rather erotic. He carefully licked him clean and then climbed up his body to lie beside him. Michael tried to put his arms around him but wasn’t coordinated enough as yet. Finally he semi-rolled over and laid his head on Brian’s chest.

“We have to get up and get back to work but I really don’t ever want to move from this spot. I think this is my new definition of heaven; here in your arms with my head right here in this little notch just below your shoulder. It was made just for me.”

They made a few changes to their normal routine. They did get up, had a light snack and then started on Brian’s exercises. It was absolutely amazing how much higher he could raise his weak leg when he was completely naked and his trainer was waiting with an open mouth to lick his dick when he got it up there. They just might revolutionize the entire field of physical rehabilitation.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their last night together. Brian lays down the law and Michael gets really, really pissed!

It was their last night together. Joe would be there early the next morning to pick them and their file boxes up and return them all to the insanity of the campaign. They had done some good work. They had narrowed the field down to two choices and had prepared a Pro/Con list for each candidate. The group plus Tracy plus Peter would make the final choice. They had also pretty much nailed Michael’s choices for his cabinet. Of course there were still open spots but they had a very short list of people they wanted. Brian was a little worried because they were all friends or relatives and he was afraid Michael would be roasted alive and accused of nepotism but Michael said he would rather have to deal with a little name calling than trying to work with strangers he didn’t know who weren’t in agreement with his goals. He had Brian penciled in as Secretary of Education. Probably his most controversial choice was his Uncle Vic as Secretary of State. Brian could hardly wait for some reporter to question him on his selection.

This whole day had been bitter sweet. On one hand they were both very satisfied with the amount of work they had completed and not just for the campaign. Three days of intensive exercise in and out of bed had Brian much stronger. He was able to work for long periods of time now without the cramps and shakes that had been driving him crazy. He wondered how long his improved condition would last after they were back in the real world. They were both quieter than usual.

“Michael, there’s something I want you to do for me.”

“What do you want, Bri? You know I’ll do anything you ask.”

“I want you to teach me how to fuck you the way you fuck me.”

Michael just blinked in surprise. “Are you sure? I thought you were still trying to get used to the whole ‘sex with a man’ thing.”

“Oh I’m sooooo into the ‘sex with a man’ thing. Now I really want to get into you.”

“Oh God that was so lame Bri.”

“Hey, my little head is in charge right now and he’s all for action first, talking later.”

“You do realize I haven’t been fucking you; I’ve been making love to you.”

Brian looked closely at Michael. He had an odd almost forlorn look on his face. Brian realized he needed a little assurance that this whole thing between them meant as much to him as it obviously did to Michael.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with fucking. If we are together as long as I hope we will be, there are gonna be way too many times when we need and/or want each other and we have exactly 15 minutes to spare. That’s not enough time for the slow kisses and caresses and the nibbling and all the things we both love to do. That’s gonna just be enough time to drop our trousers and get fucked. And I’m gonna love it and you just as much as I do the hour long sessions. So will you teach me?”

Michael was in a state of shock. Did Brian just say he would love the fucking AND HIM? OH MY GOD! Did Brian just say he loved Michael?

Brian was still waiting for Michael to either start the lessons or say no he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t sure what was going on but Michael was just looking at him; his eyes and his mouth open. Finally he closed his mouth and said, somewhat hesitantly…”Brian do you realize what you just said?”

“I’m pretty sure I do but what part are you referring to?”

“The part where you said you would love the fast fuck and me.”

“Well of course I meant it. Why would you think I didn’t…Oh Shit? I just realized; I’ve never said it to you. I’ve never told you. I guess I just figured that you would know but you want to hear the words don’t you?”

Michael tried to talk but couldn’t come up with anything memorable at the moment so he just nodded.

Brian grinned at him and pulled him even closer to his body. He kissed his eyes and dropped a kiss on his nose. “I love you Michael Novotny and I don’t care if I do sound like a…what the hell do you call them? Oh yeah. I don’t care if I do sound like a breeder. I love you.”

The next thing Brian knew he had an over-sexed Italian on top of him kissing his breath away. Michael was all over him and he was chattering a mile a minute except for the moments when he was kissing Brian until they were both gasping for breath. Finally Brian managed to get his leg up enough to brace against the mattress and rolled them both over so he was on top. He managed to hold Michael away from him but it wasn’t easy because he was enjoying the attack and he was laughing.

“Does this mean you like what I said?”

“Like it, I love it and I love you. God I love you. I think I’ve loved you almost before I even met you. I loved the idea of you and I always hoped I would meet you and now I have and you love me too and nothing can possibly be this perfect.”

“Yes it can. If we want it to be and if we work at making it perfect it will be. I know what you mean because I feel the same way. I’ve had more than my share of women ever since I was 14 years old. I’ve never had to work to get any woman I wanted. But I never felt as though it was right. I always felt as though something was missing. Lindsay and I were friends for almost a year before we decided to try dating each other because neither one of us seemed to be able to find that someone special. We just sort of drifted into an engagement and then marriage. Both families were over the moon when we started dating and they kept encouraging us to get serious and we both decided we’d pretty much worked our way through the general population of Pittsburgh and we were the best we’d found so we got married. But even at the beginning of our marriage it wasn’t anything like this. We’d have sex maybe three times a week. After a year or so it was more like two or three times a month. I always enjoyed it but I was never wrung out the way I am when you get through with me.

When I met you I felt a connection almost a flash of something familiar. Now I feel like I’ve always loved you. I think I always will.”

Michael reached out to the pouch sitting next to the bed. He pulled out a fresh tube of lube. They were down to just the travel size packages now and it was probably a good thing they were leaving tomorrow morning. He handed the tube to Brian and told him to put some on his middle finger and stick it up his butt.

“Jesus Christ, I tell you I love you and the romance is gone already. What happened to the kisses and nibbles and bites and exploration and all the rest of the good stuff?”

“Like you said, there’s nothing wrong with fucking and right now I’m so damned hot for you if I don’t get fucked and very soon, I’m not going to be responsible for my actions. So like I said, put some on your finger and stick it up my butt. Come on Kinney, you started this now finish it.”

Brian laughed out loud and leaned down and kissed his eager bed partner. He did put some lube on his fingers and then he began to rub his fingers over Michael’s small hole. He wanted him, God he wanted him so bad and he was somewhat reassured that he would be able to get inside him without splitting him wide open. After all, Michael had gotten inside him and he wasn’t the worse for wear. Michael was trying desperately to force himself down on Brian’s fingers but Brian had him right where he wanted him and he was using his extra weight to hold him down and far enough away so that all he could do was rub against Brian’s hand. He slipped his finger in up to the first knuckle. It was like sticking his finger in a furnace. Michael was hot; so hot. He pulled his finger back out again and rubbed and squeezed his butt cheeks and then just as Michael was getting ready to cuss him out he slipped his finger in all the way. Michael let out a loud Ahhh and clamped down on Brian’s finger. He was rolling his head back and forth.

Brian pulled his finger out and squeezed out a little more lube and then inserted two fingers. He kept moving them around and finally in frustration asked Michael where the little thingy was that went off like 4th of July fireworks when you touched it. It took Michael a second to calm down enough to respond.

“You mean the prostate gland. Bend your fingers just a little.”

Brian did.

“Now move them forward ever so slight…..GOOD GRIEF!”

Brian smiled. He’d just hit the mother lode. He stroked over the little bump. He rubbed it, he poked it, he tapped it, he…..Jesus Christ, Michael was trying to scalp him.

“Ouch, what the hell? Are you trying to take my scalp off?”

“No I’m not. Are you trying to drive me completely insane?”

“Of course not, I was just experimenting.”

“Well experiment on yourself. Right now get that cock of yours inside me or I will not be responsible for my actions.”

Brian leaned forward and kissed him passionately but briefly. After all, he wasn’t just too sure but what Michael might not do something nasty to him if he wasn’t serviced at once. He put the head of his dick right against the quivering hole and started to push in. He was very surprised to find Michael pushing him off and moving away from him.

“Now what? You tell me to fuck you and I’m trying but you won’t let me in?”

“Brian, I know where my hands are and I know where your hands are and have been and believe me, neither pair of hands has been anywhere near a condom. Now put one on and let’s get down to business.”

“Why do we have to use a condom? I want to feel you. I know you practice safe sex. I watched you in Chicago remember. Even as desperate as you were then, you made sure everyone was suited up. I’ve never been with a man before so I don’t have anything. Can’t we just love each other without all the stuff getting between us?”

Michael looked at this man he loved so much. He was so tempted to just say yes and give himself to him completely BUT the same love made him shake his head no.

“Here’s the deal. When we get back, we both get tested. When we both get negative results then and only then do we do it bareback. I know I’m careful but you’ve been with Lindsay and women get all sorts of UTI’s and yeast infections and I slipped a few times and let the guys do oral sex without a condom. I know they are all as careful as I am but still, even if we don’t have to worry about the HIV virus there are other STD’s and they can be passed through oral sex. I love you too much to take any chances with your health. So it’s a condom or nothing.”

Brian was touched at how much Michael cared about him. It was obvious he wanted him so much he was trembling and yet he would do without if it meant putting him in any harm. He thought to himself that he’d hit the jackpot when he picked this man to love. He grumbled anyway. After all, he did have an image to maintain. He put the rubber on making sure Michael could see him doing it and then gently slipped the head of his cock inside his lover’s body.

Brian remembered that first time along with his first time for the rest of his life. Making love or fucking; with Michael it was all the same and it was unbelievable. The way he slid right inside him clear up to his balls. Michael let out a little gasp and told him to stop for a second. He paused and propped himself up on the bed on his right arm. He used his left hand to caress Michael’s leg which was propped up on his chest. He rubbed his hand down and over his ass. He felt where he was inside Michael. It was amazing. How in the world had that little tiny hole expanded to allow his big dick inside and Michael, even with the discomfort, was happy to have him there. He kissed him and Michael more than returned the kiss. Finally, Michael relaxed and smiled at him.

“See, I told you it would all fit. Now start moving. Remember where my prostate is and don’t go too deep or too fast at first. I love you Brian and I want this more than anything I’ve ever wanted before.”

Before the night was over they used up the last of the condoms.

********************************

Everything was emotional the next morning. They stripped the beds and put the dirty laundry in some bags in the closet. Peter had arranged for a service to come in and restore the cabin to its pristine condition after they left. They had their last breakfast together, did Brian’s exercise’s for the last time and dressed for their trip back to the city.

When Michael said something about ‘last time’ Brian told him in no uncertain terms that it was NOT the last time. They would be having breakfast together for the rest of their lives. Michael said, he knew that it was just that this cabin, this place was special. This was where they told each other they were in love not just lust. This was where they had their first sex. This was so special that nothing could ever compare to it.

Later, Brian would give the cabin to Michael for their fifth anniversary. He had Peter talk to the owner and they agreed on a price and that was it. They went to the cabin as often as possible after that and it was always as though they went to another place another time. Everything outside ceased when the door shut behind them and there was only them.

Joe was there right on time, tan, relaxed and happy. He’d had three days to do some serious thinking and had come to a few decisions of his own. He loaded all the boxes into the disguised van, made sure his precious cargo was safely stowed with seat belts fastened and headed for town.

Neither Michael nor Brian had much to say. They were locked in their own thoughts. Brian was trying to figure out what to do about Lindsay and how to do it without hurting Gus anymore than was humanly possible. Michael was trying to figure out how to tell Emmet that he had found his ‘domestic partner’ without hurting him anymore than was humanly possible. They were silent but their hands were tightly locked together. When they passed the city limits Brian turned to Michael.

“We have to settle a few things now before we get to the hotel.”

“Okay. What’s on your mind?”

“The door to your bedroom, not the one everyone walks through but the adjoining one that ‘everybody’ walks through.”

“What about it?”

“I want it locked and bolted no matter what city we’re in. If I have to, I’ll have it padlocked and I’m keeping the key. You don’t have sleepovers any more with you ‘friends’. We’re exclusive with each other and no one else. Agreed?”

Michael almost bounced in his seat at the jealous tone to Brian’s voice but he wisely restrained himself and simply said, “Agreed.”

“We’re going to have to keep our relationship a secret until we know the outcome of the campaign. If you lose, then I will start divorce proceeding with Lindsay and we will figure out some way to be together and still keep our private life private. If you win, God Forbid, I guess we’re gonna have to practice sneaking around for the next four years. Shit, I’m gonna hate that. I want to be able to just live with you and do all the things normal people do like sleeping together, showering, having breakfast, going shopping. Damn it all.”

Michael unbuckled his seat belt and moved over Brian’s lap. He settled himself down against his partner’s body and pressed his nose into his neck. He loved Brian’s smell. When he was worried or afraid, he could just take a deep whiff of him and it calmed him right down.

“I don’t care what we have to do. I will risk anything and everything to be with you. What we have doesn’t come along every day of the week. I’m pretty sure our feelings for each other are a one in a lifetime thing and if we lose each other, we will never find anything that can compare to this. So whatever it takes; I’m willing to do.”

Brian wrapped his arms around his own personal ‘blankie’ and held him tight. “Me too, Michael, me too.”

“By the way, that exclusive rule does not apply to Emmet. He’s been a part of your life forever and I know the two of you need each other. I also know I will always come first and I don’t mind sharing with Em but he’s the only one.”

Michael raised his head and just stared at Brian in complete shock and amazement. He’d thought he could not be any more perfect. He was wrong. Brian just became the epitome of ‘PERFECT’. What in the hell had he done to get this astonishing, gorgeous, wonderful, sexy man. Then Brian ruined it all.

“Besides Emmet is a damn good kisser. Right up there with you.”

Michael’s mouth fell open. “Ah…he’s…you…when did you…I mean…HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF A KISSER EMMET IS?”

“Michael, please! Obviously I kissed him or rather I should say he kissed me although I’m pretty sure I was more than responding by the time it was all over. Now calm down and settle back down here. You yelled loud enough to disturb Joe.”

Sure enough, Joe’s voice came over the intercom, “Did one of you call me?”

Brian shook his head at Michael who was fuming too much to answer. “No Joe, Michael just got a little excited about something we were discussing. Sorry we disturbed you.”

Joe thought to himself that he was pretty sure he caught the words ‘kisser’ and ‘Emmet’ and Michael was more that excited; he was furious. Oh well; he had his ways of finding out things and he already was pretty sure that things had changed between the two men over the last three days. He’d seen little signs, hands touching, shoulders rubbing together, certain expressions. Oh yeah, they were lovers all right. He waited for the disgust to come but there was nothing. He guessed he’d been around Tracy and Michael and Emmet long enough now to realize that love was love no matter who or how it came about.

In the back of the van, Brian was still trying to reassure Michael who was trying to crawl off Brian’s lap. Brian was holding him and not letting him go and Michael was getting madder and madder. Finally he stopped struggling and just sat there like a frozen lump although his temperature was closer to boiling than freezing.

“Just when did all this take place? Or should I ask how long it’s been going on? All that talk about never being with a man before. No wonder you handled everything so well; you’d had some previous practice. How dare you be with my best friend and then try to pretend like you’re an innocent virgin with me?”

“I was not with your best friend. Do you remember just after your friends joined the campaign Ben and I had a little disagreement? I thought he was touching you too much and that some reporter would pick up on it? Well Emmet took me aside and told me I was being a jerk. That Ben didn’t touch you nearly as much as I did and when was I going to admit that I was interested in a man. I insisted he was crazy. I was married and straight. I was not interested in men. Emmet backed me up against a wall and planted one on me. When he finally let me go I was reeling. He told me I was hard as a rock and that he wasn’t even the man I was really interested in. I went back out and apologized to Ben and toned down my objections after that.”

Michael was beginning to thaw and relax as Brian talked because he did remember the incident. He remembered that Emmet and Brian had disappeared for a short time but now that he thought about it he realized they didn’t have time to do anything other than a plain kiss. However, he did sort of like Brian in the placating mood so he didn’t let him off the hook just yet.

“So you insist it was just a kiss and Emmet was the aggressor; is that correct?”

“Yes although I’m not sure I would call him an aggressor. He was just trying to make me realize I was only fooling myself.”

“Well, I’m not too sure but I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt…this time. But don’t you tell me we’re going to be exclusive to each other and then start telling me what a great kisser my best friend is; especially just after you tell me that our exclusivity rule doesn’t apply to him. Are you planning on a threesome?”

Brian had already realized that Michael was just pulling his strings now but he decided to let him think he was in control for a little while longer.

“Well, if it happens, I guess it happens. What do you think?”

“I think if I ever catch you putting your dick in some other man I will probably cut it off and have it mounted to put on my wall; that’s what I think.”

Brian could not keep a straight face any longer. He broke out in a big smile and grabbed Michael’s face in his hands and proceeded to kiss him breathless.

“Are we to the part where we can have make-up sex yet?”

“Hey, we used up all the condoms and according to you we can’t do anything without one so I guess we’re going to have to postpone the make-up sex.”

“Oh no you don’t. I’ve just spent three days teaching you there are other ways to satisfy each other besides sticking your dick in me so I think you owe me a blow job. You need the practice anyway.”

Michael flipped the mike open and told Joe to drive them around the block for a little while. They weren’t ready to face the troops just yet. Joe asked them how long and Michael said 15 minutes. Brian overrode him and said make it thirty.

When he turned the mike off he leaned Michael over until he was on his back on the comfortable leather bench seat and said, “You don’t have any faith in me at all do you? I’ll stretch it out until you’re begging me to let you come.”

Michael just grinned and said, “Now that’s what I call a win/win situation.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the stress of the campaign. A huge political decision is made and Emmet seems to be regressing.

Brian looked around the large, crowded, noisy room and thought to himself that it was like the last three days had never happened. They’d just fallen right back into the chaos that was a presidential campaign without even thinking about it.

Everyone had been glad to see them and they were honestly glad to see all their friends. Brian had picked Tracy up and whirled her around and around and she had giggled like a school girl. The only cloud was Emmet. He seemed to be having problems with his emotions again like he had right after being released from the hospital. When they first walked into the suite, everything seemed to be all right but when Brian had put his arms around him and given him a big hug, he’d returned the hug with an almost frightening intensity. He hugged Brian so hard he’d hurt his lower injury. Brian didn’t let him know it; he was already in a fragile place but he was concerned. When he hugged Michael, he had tears in his eyes. Brian could feel the waves of worry radiating off Michael. He knew without a word being said that Michael would be spending the night with his friend and while he knew he would miss him terribly, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

They had all sat down to a festive lunch and while Emmet seemed to be in control Brian and Michael could both see his hands shaking when he passed a bowl at the table. Everything else seemed to be working just fine. Conner and Justin had both had extremely productive days off. Conner had signed to play a role he’d been trying to get for ages and Justin had completed the last 3 songs for his new CD. They were both raring to go and anxious to get the question of a running mate settled. They were all waiting for Peter and were very surprised when Peter showed up with five of his Foundations members. He said he’d been threatened within an inch of his life if he didn’t bring them with him. Thomas Rogers and Andrew Johnson were the only two Brian recognized and remembered from his original meeting. The others were introduced and as soon as the dishes from lunch were cleared, Joe and a couple of his men brought in the files and set up the laptop connecting it to the large room flat screen so everyone could view the interviews and make their decisions.

The final two selected were both women. They had a lot in common but they also were wildly different in other ways. Melanie Marcus was an investment specialist. She was well known to both Thomas and Andrew and they had nothing but praise for her skills at building a successful portfolio. Cynthia Barker was the owner of her own PR firm and she was also well known to the foundation members. Again they had nothing but praise for her business skills and her personal ethics.

It was an oddity that both women had been law majors. Both had graduated from prestigious universities in the top five percent of their classes, both had passed the bar exam the first time and both had worked for a short time in their chosen field. Both women had left the law to pursue other interests and had been solid successes in their new professions. That’s where the similarities ended. Melanie Marcus was abrupt and almost abrasive. Cynthia was the personification of charm and reason. They were both totally up to speed on Michael and his men and the goals he’d put forward up to that time. Counting Peter and his associates there were 13 votes in the room. They all agreed that they would all have one vote and if there was a tie, Tracy would cast the deciding vote. Peter had come to rely on Tracy as much as the campaigners did and he’d warned Brian several times he was going to try to woo her away from him when this was all over. Tracy was too young to hold an office in a presidential cabinet but Michael was already talking about her being his personal secretary so Peter was waging a losing battle.

It was almost unanimous; Cynthia would be Michael’s choice for Vice President. Everyone had been heard from except Emmet. Michael shushed everyone and said, “Em…what’s your take on these two candidates.”

Emmet stood up and started pacing back and forth and then began to speak.

“I realize you all think Melanie will be a loose cannon but Michael, she is the perfect choice for you.”

There was an uproar from almost everyone in the room except Brian, Michael and Tracy.

“Hear me out. Michael you hate to be the bad guy. You do it if you have to but it tears you up. Melanie thrives on conflict. When you have a problem you just sic her on the parties involved and it will be settled. All you have to do is sooth a little ruffled fur after it’s all over and you know exactly how to do that. Besides, have you selected a Secretary of Labor as yet? No you haven’t and it’s because you haven’t a clue who to pick. We all know that slapping an excise tax on manufacturers who’ve taken their jobs overseas is not the solution to the job problem. We have to give them a reason to move the jobs back to the states. The unions are the biggest stumbling block to that process.

Now when the unions were first established they were a god send for the American worker. The unions single handedly created the great American Middle Class. They made it possible for people other than the very rich to own homes, have automobiles, send their kids to college and in general participate in the so-called ‘good life’. For the first time in recorded history, working people had access to decent healthcare, dental and vision care and investment plans to insure their quality of life after they quit working. But like all things in America, we went too damn far and now the unions are an albatross around the neck of management. You know yourself Michael how hard it is to fire someone who is union. You practically have to catch them in an act of murder to get rid of a lazy or incompetent employee now and we have the unions to thank for that. Produce sits in a locked truck on a dock and rots because only a ‘union’ employee can unlock the door and they can’t find a ‘union’ employee. That’s makes about as much sense as me doing a triathlon. No, the unions have to go in order to get the jobs back here BUT we also have to get management to do voluntarily what the unions forced them to do to begin with. Now I don’t know about you but I can see Cynthia Barker sitting down at a table with union and management reps and working out an arrangement to phase out the unions and make it profitable for owners to bring their jobs back here.”

Peter looked at Emmet for a while and then shook his head. “I swear you will continue to surprise me until the day we both leave this earth Emmet. That was the best description of the last 50 years I’ve ever heard presented. I change my vote to Melanie Marcus.”

Everyone in the room voted unanimously for Melanie Marcus. She was Michael’s running mate; providing she accepted the position of course.

Michael left the room and called Cynthia and Melanie and asked them if they could meet. In one of those miracles that only happen in romance novels (never in real life) both women were available that afternoon. Michael scheduled Cynthia at 3:00pm and Melanie at 3:30pm.

Michael, Emmet and Brian were present at the interview with Cynthia Barker. She was poised and attractive as usual. When Michael thanked her for coming so quickly she assured him it was no trouble at all. She blinked and her face froze for just a brief moment when Michael told her he had decided to pick Melanie for his running mate. She managed a gracious smile and started to stand.

“Well, thank you for your time and the courtesy of telling me yourself. I’ll just show myself out.”

Michael smiled at her and said, “Miss Barker, don’t you want to know why we picked Melanie over you?”

“Not particularly. We both have similar credentials so I’m assuming you felt her style was more suited to your campaign.”

“Not exactly. Both of you would make outstanding running mates but only you would make the perfect Secretary of Labor; that is if you’re interested at all in being in my cabinet.”

Cynthia had almost made it to her feet but at that, she sat back down suddenly. This time there was no hiding the complete shock on her face.

“You want me to be your Secretary of Labor? Are you sure?”

“We are positive and I’m going to let Emmet explain to you why because no one does it better than he does.”

Emmet outlined pretty much the same speech he’d given earlier in the day and it was a measure of Cynthia’s intelligence that she was shaking her head in agreement before he got to the end.

“Does that mean you’ll sign on if I’m elected?”

Cynthia gave the three men a blazing smile and said, “You bet your sweet ass I’m signing on. I can hardly wait.”

There was silence and then all three of them burst out laughing. Michael wiped his eyes and said, “God you are going to fit right in here. It’s almost scary thinking about cabinet meetings.”

They all stood and walked with her to the door. Melanie Marcus was waiting in the living room with Peter and the other foundation members. She looked up when the door opened and watched as Cynthia shook hands with the three men. She also watched as Emmet leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She was shaking inside with rage.

‘Why the hell did they have to call me here when they already made up their minds to take the blonde shiska Barbie doll? Do they get off on humiliating people? I didn’t think they were that type of people but I guess you just can never tell. Well guess what assholes; this Jew is not going to cry for you. Just do your best.’

Michael smiled a warm genuine smile at her. “Please come in Miss Marcus. We’ve been waiting to speak with you.”

She walked into the room and took the same seat Cynthia Barker used. She had her briefcase in her lap and knew she should set it down on the floor but she was hanging on to the handle so tight she didn’t think she could pry her fingers loose.

“Miss Marcus, we are honored and excited to offer you the position of Vice-President on our Independent ticket. That is if you’re still interested.”

Melanie Marcus was not often at a loss for words but she was speechless. She just stared at first Michael and then Emmet and then Brian. All three men were smiling at her with warm open smiles. She tried twice to say something but nothing came out. Brian got up and went over to the little bar and poured a glass of water. He dropped a lemon slice in the glass and brought it over to her. She managed to take the glass without spilling it even though her hands were visibly shaking. Then it registered that he’d put a lemon slice in the water. He’d remembered she had specifically asked for a slice of lemon in her drinking water when they had lunch together. After a few sips she managed to get herself together enough to say, “You really want me? Are you sure?”

Emmet said, “We’re positive. I think you and Michael are going to be a hell of a combination and we all hope it’s going to be a winning combination. That is if you accept. You haven’t said yes or no yet.”

Melanie said, “Yes. I say yes. When do we start?”

Michael got up and walked over to the door. He opened it and called all the rest of the team into the small study. “She said yes and she wants to know when she starts.”

Peter grinned from ear to ear. “Ah a woman after my own heart. We start right now Ms. Marcus. We have a team of reporters downstairs in the hotel ballroom waiting for a personal appearance by Michael. Let’s go. Oh leave your briefcase here in the room. I assure you it will be safe. By the way, how long will it take you to get your personal affairs in order so you can start taking on speaking engagements?”

Melanie who prided herself on thinking on her feet was reeling from all the things being thrown at her at the same time. “Ah, I need a few days at the most. Most of my clients are long term so their portfolios are set. I do have three new clients that I need to monitor but I can do that anyplace I have access to a secure terminal.”

Peter looked at Tracy who was already making a note on her PDA. He knew without even asking that she would have a secure terminal available for Ms. Marcus no matter where they might be. Again he mourned that he would not be able to steal her for himself.

Michael and his men swept into the big ballroom downstairs. By now he was on first name basis with most of the reporters in the room. He made it a point to greet some of them by name and others he made a point of asking their names and shaking their hands.

Brian stepped up to the microphone amid a lot of applause. It was the first time he’d appeared in public since the shooting and he was a favorite of the reporters; men and women alike.

“We want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. As you all know, the last few months of a campaign make the first part seem like a walk in the part and this one is no exception. We’ve made some serious decisions in the last few days and our candidate would like to talk to you about the most important one of all.”

He moved back and allowed Michael to step up to the mike. He stumbled a little and brushed his shoulder against Michael’s. He heard the slight intake of breath and got a glimpse of dark eyes as they flashed on his face. He knew he shouldn’t be taking chances like that but he had no idea how difficult it would be to be around Michael all the time and not be able to touch him. He knew from the small gasp that Michael was missing their contact also.

By the time he faced the sea of reporters Michael had his game face back on.

“Well guys and dolls, I’m sorry…was that politically incorrect? I was just watching the movie upstairs while we were finishing up some last minute business before we came down here and it was either that or I was going to serenade you with a few lines of ‘Luck be a Lady Tonight’. “

Emmet and Brian both groaned and Emmet stepped up to the mike and said, “Just consider yourselves lucky with the ‘guys and dolls’ remark. Foreign governments could use recordings of Michael singing to torture political prisoners.”

Michael glared at his partner and said, “Hey, I’m not that bad.”

Emmet put his hand up to his mouth and hid his lips from view as he mouthed to the audience, “yes he is.”

Michael just shook his head. “I really don’t get any respect from my friends at all. Well I know you are all eager to get this over with so you can make your deadlines so I want to introduce you all to my Vice Presidential running mate, Miss Melanie Marcus. Melanie, please come out and say hello to the nice news people.”

The room erupted in a flurry of flashbulbs and hollered questions. No one had expected an announcement this soon and they were all caught unaware. Melanie was bombarded with questions until Michael took over and told them to stop acting like feeding time at the zoo and give her a chance to get to know them and answer their questions. After that they raised their hands and when Melanie selected one of them, they stated their name and employer before asking the question. It was a wild and wooly thirty minutes but the hard-core reporters gave them a round of applause when Michael pointed out that the reporters had about 45 minutes to make their various deadlines and they had a lot of planning to do.

When they got back in the suite everyone was a little shell-shocked from the noise and the constant explosion of the flash bulbs. Peter smiled at Melanie and asked her if she still wanted to be on the ticket with Michael. She would have died right then and there had she known she gave exactly the same answer her competition did.

“You bet your sweet ass I do.”

****************************

Peter and the other foundation members were on their way back to Washington, Tracy had long since disappeared into her suite. Joe and his guards were out of sight. Conner and Justin were together in Conner’s room. Michael was going to be with Emmet only he found Ben sitting on the floor outside Em’s door.

“What are you doing here Ben?”

“He won’t let me in. I started to slip in through the adjoining suite like we always do but the door was locked. I thought maybe the maid did it and he didn’t check it so I come out here but this door is locked and he won’t let me in or answer me.”

Michael knocked on the door softly. There was no sense in rousing everyone but he was worried. There was no answer. He tried the handle. The door was locked. He knocked again a little louder. Finally he hollered “Em”.

There was still no answer. By now he was really getting worried so he banged on the door. Conner stuck his head out of his door and asked if everything was okay and Michael said yes, just Em being difficult. Conner went back to bed and Michael banged again. This time Brian stepped out in the hall and walked down to join the three of them.

“What’s going on?”

Ben answered since Michael seemed to be determined to break the door down. “The adjoining door is locked so I was going to use this one but Emmet has locked it also. Michael came down to see Em and he won’t let either one of us in.”

Michael was just beating on the door now and he lost his temper and yelled at Emmet to open the damn door or he would call down to the desk and have the manager bring up keys to unlock it. The door opened and a red faced Emmet told them all to go away and leave him alone. Michael pushed the door open and walked into Emmet’s room.

“I’m not about to leave you alone and since when do I have to. I thought you said you would always be here for me. I need you and you’re locked up in your room pouting. What kind of a friend is that?”

“Oh you need me do you. I thought I’d been replaced.”

Michael just glared at him and asked him what the hell he was talking about. Emmet shook his head and told Michael he wasn’t feeling well and to ignore him. He’d taken a pain pill and was almost asleep when all the commotion had started outside his door and he was a little disoriented from the pill. He asked them all to let him get some sleep and everything would be better in the morning. Michael was torn between wanting to stay with him and find out what was really wrong and wanting to give him some relief if he was having another one of those horrible headaches he had after the shooting. Finally he said Ben could stay and he would see the rest of them tomorrow. Everyone said goodnight and Michael went to Brian’s bed. He was almost desperate to be with him after the day they’d had but still was worried to death about his best friend. He hoped there wasn’t more fallout from the shooting. They were about to embark on a roller coaster for the last three months of the campaign and he didn’t want Emmet to be upset about anything.

He was so grateful to just lose himself in the arms of the man he loved more than anything on this earth. But in the back of his mind was the constant worry about the man he loved second best.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a peek into the future. Brian and Emmet have a 'come to Jesus' meeting with Melanie Marcus and the cat is out of the bag regarding Brian and Michael which causes one of the group to realize he won't be getting his heart's desire.

**TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE FUTURE**

 _World-Wide-News Interview with Conner James and Justin Taylor_

Host: Welcome gentlemen. It’s an honor and a privilege to be doing an interview with two of the most popular and talented men in the entertainment industry. You two have lived a life that would be called extraordinary by any ones definition.

Conner: Hello Jim, it’s nice to be here with you today and yes you’re right. We’ve pretty much been in the thick of things for some time now and it’s been an amazing adventure.

Justin: I’ll second Conner’s welcome and also his remarks. Believe me when I was a seventeen year old student at Julliard I never dreamed that one day I would be sitting here in an interview with a two time Oscar winner and one of the best news reporters in the business today.

Host: Well Justin, when it comes to awards and winning, you’re not doing so badly yourself. What is it now; 21 Grammies, 3 Oscars of your own for best score and best song, induction into the rock and roll hall of fame not to mention the songwriters of America?

Justin: I’ve been one lucky son-of-a-bitch. Of course having Conner go to bat for me got me my first Oscar. If he hadn’t put in a good word for me I would never have been given the opportunity to write the title song for his picture and that’s the one that got me started.

Conner: You have to admit, we make one hell of a team.

Host: You certainly do both on and off the screen. You two have been together for twenty-five years now.

(Conner interrupts Jim.)

Conner: Actually if you count the time before we decided to take a chance on each other it’s been closer to 30 years now.

Host: Wait a minute; you mean the two of you have been partners for 30 years? Wow, that’s phenomenal!

Conner: No we weren’t partners at first; we were more like fuck buddies.

Justin: CONNER! For heaven’s sake scare the poor guy to death why don’t you not to mention getting us thrown off the air.

Conner: Hey; one of the perks of getting older is your growing resistance to bullshit. I’m more inclined to say what I mean now instead of filtering everything.

Host: So how did you two meet?

Conner: Well, I met Benjamin Bruckner in California when he handled the merger between the agency who was handling me at the time and another large rival. I took one look at him and was just bowled over. I was pretty cocky at the time, oh hell, who am I kidding. I was so damn conceited I’m amazed I didn’t get the crap beaten out of me. I figured all I had to do was let him know I was interested and he would just roll over. Boy was I wrong. He treated me like an annoying little brother. He showed up at my front door the night before he left and he turned me upside down. It took me a while to get the lesson he was trying to teach me which was, he didn’t roll over for anyone. He introduced me to Justin and then Michael and Emmet and eventually a whole group of people but I was always closest to him, Michael, Emmet and Justin. We were all friends first and casual lovers second although I was really interested in Ben and Michael at one time.

Host: You know a lot of people are sitting at home in their living rooms right now with their mouths hanging open thinking you sound like a bunch of sluts.

Justin: Well by straight standards I guess we do but you straights don’t realize that gay’s look at sex differently than you do. When a straight guy see’s a gal he likes, he makes a pass. Now unless he’s a real jerk about it the worst that can happen is she’ll say thanks but no thanks. But for gays there are lots of times when we have no idea in the world whether the guy we are giving the eye is gay or not. If we make a pass and he’s straight, we can get arrested, beat up and even killed. When we have access to a group of gorgeous men who are all gay, we tend to take advantage of the situation because who knows when it will happen again.

Host: You were both in the closet at that time, correct?

Justin: Yes we were as were most gay’s in the public eye. That’s why Michael and Emmet were such big heroes to the gay community. They were completely open about their sexuality without being militant about it. Some ‘out’ gays at that time were using their status almost as a weapon. If you were gay and they knew it, they would do everything they could to make you come out even to the point of ‘outing’ you in public. It was a scary time.

Host: If that’s the case, why in the world did the two of you, well actually there were four of you, why did you all decide to publically work for Michael Novotny’s campaign. Did you think it would make it easier for you to come out eventually?

Conner: Hell no; I did it for a lark, an adventure. I thought it would be fun and something different I’d never done before. I had made 5 action films in a row and I was tired. I needed a break and I thought this would be it; especially with Justin and Ben along. I looked at it as sort of a ‘moveable sex feast’.

Justin: God I can’t believe I fell for someone so shallow. You were so full of yourself then. Now me, I did it because I believed in Michael’s ideas AND because I was sick and tired of being a teeny-boppers wet dream. Don’t get me wrong, I love my fans. I think they are the greatest people in the world but long after I left my teen years I was still stuck in this ‘teen idol’ rut. I wanted to be regarded as an adult. I wanted to do adult music and lyrics. I thought that if I exercised my civil rights, I would suddenly acquire a maturity that hadn’t been there before.

Host: How did it work out for both of you?

Conner: I can answer for both of us although I know my partner will want to add his own slant. The adventure ended in a waiting room in Parkland Hospital in Dallas Texas. I sat there in a blood soaked shirt with blood caked in my hair, under my nails, drying all down the front of my trousers. I looked around and saw Justin and Michael looking much like I did only they had on a hospital scrub top. Ben was bare-chested. They couldn’t find a scrub top for him that would fit him right away. Drew was in the same boat I was. We hadn’t given up our shirts like Ben, Michael and Justin but as much blood as we had all over us, we might as well have.

Ben, our calm easy-going Ben… (Justin interrupts)

Justin: We used to call him Zen-Ben.

Yeah we did. I’d almost forgotten about that. Anyway, he was raging. You could see he was trying to hold himself back and he was losing the battle. Ben told us once that his folks started working with him when he was just barely ten years old. He was a big kid and they knew he was going to be a big, powerful man. They didn’t want him to be a bully so they sent him to martial arts to learn meditation and self control and self-discipline. It worked. Did it ever work but that day all the normal rules went right out the window.

Justin: Ben finally lost the battle. He got up and walked over to Michael and got right in his face. I remember him yelling all sorts of things at him and he ended with Are You Going to Quit. God when I do have nightmares, that’s my number one memory. Are You Going to Quit. I was sitting there begging Michael to say yes, he was going to quit. Running a hard campaign is one thing but having assholes try to gun you down in public is something else entirely.

The worst thing of all was Michael didn’t even realize Ben was yelling at him. He was in a world of his own.

Conner: I don’t know babe, I don’t think Michael was anywhere. I think he’d checked out and left an empty shell behind. You got to understand. Michael was downright magnificent during the whole nightmare. He was on the bottom of the pile because Brian and Emmet had both thrown themselves in front of the bullets meant for him and Ben was on top of all of them. When we saw what happened, Drew, Justin and I ran over and tried to cover them as best we could. When they finally got the bodies off him and decided all the blood belonged to other people, Michael pitched in and started working on Brian. Ben had already called Drew back and had him get Emmet into the limo. Michael used his shirt to plug one hole in Brian and Justin gave up his shirt to plug the other. We all got into one limo and took off for the hospital.

When we got there, Michael spoke with the doctors and gave them as much info as he could. Orderlies were transferring Brian and Emmet to rolling gurneys and we were all traveling while all this was going on. Then another ambulance pulled up and one of the security guards yelled at Michael. He told him they had one of their own badly hurt and he’d taken out the shooter. Michael didn’t even pause. He flew down that hall and caught the head of the ER and told him they had another patient.

I remember being so damned mad at that doctor I was ready to take his head off. He told Michael that he’d been told to prepare for 2 VIP’s. Michael just glared at him and asked him if he considered him to be a VIP. The doc said yes. Michael said that while he’d been at the bottom of a pile of wounded friends bleeding all over him, the guard was risking his life to take out the shooter. As far as Michael was concerned he was the biggest VIP of all. The doc redeemed himself. He told Michael he was sorry, he did a quick exam of Joe and told them to get the head of the burn unit up to the OR. As long as there were things that needed to be done, Michael was doing them. When we got to the waiting room, he shut down.

Justin: You’re probably right. I remember Drew got up and went over and told Ben to stop yelling at him; that Michael didn’t even realize he was there. If he wanted to do something call Tracy and get us some clean clothes. Ben did and then we all just sat there. Ben was trying to chant to get himself into a meditative mood, Drew was rocking Michael back and forth and telling him that we were all here and safe; that he’d taken care of all his men. I asked Conner if he wanted some coffee. He said no thank you. Then he asked me if I wanted a coke. I said no thank you. We were all so numb with shock and grief and fear we didn’t know what to do. I’ve never felt so hopeless in all my life.

Conner: You may have been helpless then honey but you turned out to be the fiercest warrior of us all.

Host: That sounds like an interesting story Conner. What do you mean?

Conner: By the time Peter Roca got to the hospital, Michael was beginning to come out of shock. Ben did call Tracy and she had shown up with a squad of guards and what appeared to be the entire stock of an upscale men’s shop. She brought us everything we needed even Justin’s medicine for his allergies and my migraine prescription. Tracy was the closest thing to a saint this world has to offer. She took such good care of all of us. If was really sort of funny because Peter asked Michael exactly the same question Ben did; Are You Going to Quit. Only this time Michael answered and I will remember to my dying day exactly what he said.

 _“If I quit, a couple of years from now Brian and Emmet will be an interesting footnote in the history books regarding the election. No one will remember what they did or how brave all of these men were. I can’t quit. I can’t let them go through this for nothing. Just so I can put my tail between my legs and run home at the first sign of danger. No, I’m not going to quit but my friends are. From now on it’s just me out there. If someone wants to kill me for what I’m saying or who I’m sleeping with, let me be the only one drawing fire.”_

Even the host was silent for a second after Conner recited those words spoken so many years ago.

Conner looked at Justin with love pouring out of his eyes. “You don’t know it baby because we made sure to keep it a secret from you but we all thought you would quit within a month or two. We were all surprised when you stuck it out as long as you did and I just knew that the shooting would be your ticket out of the craziness and back to your safe world of music. We were so, so wrong and I think that might be when I really fell completely in love with you.” Conner turned back to the host.

Conner: I also remember exactly what Justin said to Michael; word for word.

 _“What the hell makes you think you’re the only one in the room with balls my friend. We started this as an adventure. The four of us and you and Brian and Emmet are going to attack it now like the fight it really is. No one, but no one is going to make us back down or run or hide. ““Mr. Roca, I’m prepared to hold a press conference and announce to the world that I’m gay and I’m going to keep right on fighting for a man who will make a difference.”_

He was magnificent.

Host: And you both did. You stuck it out right down to the end. Through the threats and continued attempts on your candidates life. Through the grueling schedule and the name-calling and all the ugliness that came out at the end of that campaign. You and Benjamin Bruckner stuck it out and the three of you have earned your place in our American History. Was the price you paid too high?

Justin: No price is too high to pay for the right to fight for what you believe in. And look, I got Conner out of the deal so as far as I’m concerned I was a winner all the way.

Conner: God kid, after twenty-five years you can still take my breath away. Jim I think we’re about through here aren’t we? I need to spend some quality time with my partner.

Host: And that’s a wrap for World-Wide-News. Good Night Ladies and Gentlemen.

*********************************

If the campaign had been difficult up to that point, it was unbelievable for the next three months. In the very beginning, Brian had signed on as Michael’s speechwriter. Of course his contributions to the campaign were so far beyond that now that it was hard to remember his original place. Now he and Emmet pretty much handled the speeches with research and ideas contributed by everyone. They would be doing the same thing for Melanie Marcus except for one small thing. Melanie fought them tooth and nail. She couldn’t see why she had to have a speech. She was used to speaking without a written script. She didn’t like people putting words in her mouth and on and on. Finally after a solid two weeks of fighting and work thrown out the window because she would start out doing the prepared speeches and then wander off into her own brusque and abrasive world Brian and Emmet were furious and they were prepared to have a meeting with Ms. Marcus.

They got her off by themselves. They deliberately excluded Michael and Peter Roca who really wanted to be in on the discussions. He was pretty upset with Michael’s running mate. Brian and Emmet felt that too many people in the room would really put her back up and it was going to be bad enough with just the three of them.

Brian started it off by telling her that if she thought for one moment that Michael would not drop her off the ticket…she was right. He wouldn’t. He waited until he caught the smug expression that crossed her face brief though it was.

“Michael had his reasons for picking you and they are good ones. Emmet was solidly in your corner and you know how much Emmet’s opinions matter to Michael. So he is not going to cut you loose but that doesn’t mean you have a free hand to sabotage his campaign.”

“What the hell do you mean sabotage? I’m not trying to sabotage anything. I’m just trying to cut through the bullshit and tell people the truth for a change. Which seems to be very different from what you two want me to do. “

Brian looked at her and she glared back at him. “If you really think that then you haven’t a clue what’s going on here and what we are all trying to accomplish. Michael has been hammered in the press for his 'plain speaking'. Practically every single magazine or paper that has interviewed him has commented on the fact that he doesn’t evade, he doesn’t use political jargon and he tells the truth whether people want to hear It or not. Now since Emmet and I have been writing his speeches since the day he decided to run, I’d say we both pretty much know how to tell the truth. The difference is you do it in such a belligerent manner that it sounds like you think your audience is too damned stupid to know what the truth is unless you cram it down their throats and let me tell you one thing; the American public can distinguish the gentle aroma of bullshit a mile away.”

Emmet took over at that point. “I don’t know if you are aware of it or not but there are a great many very influential people who not only want Michael to run, they actually want him to win and believe me, it they get the idea that you contributed to his loss in any fashion, they will rip you to shreds. That business of yours that you’re so proud of will dry up and blow away and you will be lucky to get yourself a job flipping hamburgers at Mickey Dees. Moreover, neither Brian nor I will hesitate for one minute to let it be known that you would not work with us, that you would not participate in the writing of your speeches. Honey we will nail you to the cross. And you ain’t been nailed until a pissed off Nelly Queen does the nailing.”

Melanie stared at Emmet in amazement. “I’m not trying to lose the campaign for him. I want him to win. I agree with almost everything I’ve heard him talk about so far.”

“Then get with the program and start doing the speeches we write for you. We aren’t about to force things on you that you aren’t comfortable with. If we write something that isn’t your style, tell us. We will change it until it sounds like you. We have done that from the very beginning with Michael. All the guys do the research for each appearance we make. Then we formulate a speech designed to hit the problems that particular area is having. When Emmet and I have the first draft ready, all of us including Tracy get together and Michael reads the speech out loud. If he doesn’t think it sounds right or if any one of the group has a problem, we discuss it until we do it right. That’s the way we want to do your speeches only you won’t be a part of the team and we need a team player not a spoiled little Jewish Princess who wants to push her agenda at the expense of the people who gave her a chance in the first place.”

There was complete silence in the room. Melanie was angry but she was obviously thinking. Finally, she pulled herself together.

“I’m not a spoiled Jewish Princess. I’ve fought for every single thing I’ve ever gotten; for every milestone I’ve accomplished. I’ve done it all by myself. My family expected me to be a good little girl and learn to shop and manage a house and be a good wife to a lawyer or doctor. But I wanted to be the lawyer or the doctor. So they refused to pay for my college education. I earned every penny myself. I’m not used to getting help from anyone.”

Emmet grinned at her and said, “Well then, welcome to the family honey. You’re not alone anymore. You’re part of history in the making and win or lose we are making history. So are you going to cooperate?”

“Yes, I’m going to cooperate.”

Brian looked up at the heavens and said, “Thank you Lord. Now, let’s take this speech out, present it to the group and let them tear it apart. By the way, Michael is hot about taxes and jobs first and foremost. Do you have an agenda you want to push?”

“Yes, I want a better quality of life for our senior citizens. People who have worked all their life suddenly are being treated like excess baggage and not honored for the wisdom and experience they have. I’d like to see that changed.”

Emmet nodded thoughtfully. “I knew you had a good head on your shoulders. Brian and I will start working that into your speeches.”

Melanie would never be passive and agreeable but at least from that point on, she was bearable.

The hate mail was turning into a flood of paper, e-mails, text messages and nasty calls. At least once a week someone would throw something at their cars or at them. Joe and his security detail were working 24/7. There had been a couple of attempts to grab Michael and they had intercepted three suspicious packages.

Everyone was worn out and they still had almost two months to go so it was a wonderful break when Brian’s birthday rolled around. Melanie had been on her best behavior and was in Florida making three consecutive appearances by herself, which left the gang to celebrate on their own. It was a great party and they had all taken advantage of the opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves. Now hindsight is a wonderful thing so it’s real easy to say that Michael should have known better than to give Brian his gift at the party or that perhaps he shouldn’t have gotten such an extravagant present but like I said; hindsight.

Brian opened his gift last. He took the lid off the small box and caught his breath. He picked up a magnificent platinum bracelet and held it up for everyone to see. It was beautiful; a wide curved piece with two perfectly carved cowry shells on either side, which acted as small hinges to make the bracelet fit his wrist.

Brian felt the engraving on the inside of the bracelet and turned it over to read the message. It was four words; Always have, always will. Brian looked up at Michael and without a thought in the world put his hand out, fastened it around Michael’s neck and pulled him to him. The kiss they shared raised the temperature in the room by several degrees. If there was anyone in the room who didn’t get the message that these two were more than friends, it became painfully clear when Michael let out a deep moan and put his arms around Brian’s body and tried to get inside his shirt. A few seconds passed. No one said a word.

Emmet turned to Conner and said, “So Conner, how about a piece of birthday cake. It’s your favorite; chocolate.”

“What kind of chocolate; not that red velvet crap.”

“No, it’s Hershey’s milk chocolate with chocolate hazelnut butter cream filling and burnt sugar frosting.”

Conner’s moan sound a great deal like Michaels. “Oh my God, you are Satan in disguise aren’t you? Of course I’ll have a piece.”

Emmet cut the cake and asked if anyone else was ready. Everyone was except the two men who were still in a passionate embrace. Emmet prepared three pieces before they finally came up for air. Michael was a shade of red no one had ever seen before.

“Uh…God, I’m so sorry guys…I know we probably should have told you…”

Brian stepped in at that point. “We thought we could keep it a secret but I wasn’t expecting this and I’m tired of having to hide my feelings.”

Emmet smiled at them and said, “Well, I think there are at least three of us who had a pretty good idea that something was going on.”

Michael looked at him and said, “Three! Who besides you?”

Tracy and Joe both raised their hands. “I’m amazed nobody else caught on with the sparks you two were shooting off every time you looked at each other.”

Brian looked at Ben, Justin and Conner. “I know you were all wondering why Michael was avoiding you but I told him there would be no more sleepovers. We are exclusive with each other and his sleeping around days are over. With one exception of course.”

Brian walked over to Em. “You are the one exception. You and Michael have been together forever and you need each other. I’m not about to try and break that up so anytime you need him, I will understand; anytime except tonight of course.”

Emmet grinned and said, “Of course. You do realize I’ve known about you long before you showed up on the scene. For a long time I really believed Michael and I would together forever…”

Brian interrupted, “You will, I promise.”

“You know what I mean Brian, I thought we would be lovers until we died but several months before we got the first letter from the Foundation, I saw you…not you, you but someone who would be the one Michael was looking for. I knew my days were numbered and after I grieved, I decided to enjoy every minute I had left with him. I just prayed that when you finally did show up you would be worthy of him…and you are. I hope and pray that someday I find someone to share a love with as powerful as yours. “

Brian put his arms around Emmet and hugged him hard. Emmet hugged him back and then pulled away from him and wiped his eyes.

“Heavens to Betsy, this is a party so let’s celebrate and you have to tell us all the juicy details starting with...were the dozen condoms he always carries enough?”

In the general laughter and conversation that followed, no one heard Ben’s heart breaking.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emmet drops a problem on Michael and Brian and they learn they may lose another member of their group. Michael decides that 'ROMANCE' is tearing their group a new asshole!!!!

In some respects, both Brian and Michael would agree this was the happiest time of their lives. Yes, they were worked to death. Yes, they were in constant danger. Yes, they were living in a fishbowl. But at night, when they shut their bedroom door, shut everyone out and concentrated on each other, they wouldn’t change a thing, not one single thing. This was about to change.

It had been five days since Brian’s birthday party when they had been exposed. Everyone seemed to be happy for them, even Emmet, but that night they had no sooner shut their door than there was a tentative knock. Michael got up and went to the door and there was Emmet. He was obviously upset and Michael immediately pulled him inside the room and into his arms.

“What’s the matter Em? Are you in pain? Has something happened?”

Emmet was trying to pull himself together but something had upset him badly. Brian told Michael to give him a chance to compose himself, went over and guided Michael and Emmet over to the bed. He sat them both down and then squatted down in front of Emmet, took his hands in his and just waited. He thought that Em was having a delayed reaction to the news that they were together and just needed some reassurance that he would not be shut out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. He asked Em if he wanted a drink and Em nodded his head yes. Brian asked if he wanted water and got a glare that made him chuckle.

“Well, I’m not about to mix you a Cosmo now so it’s going to be Jim Beam, juice, water or soda; take your pick.”

“Jim Beam with ice.”

Brian fixed him a drink, motioned to Michael who shook his head yes and fixed two more for them. He took the glasses back over to the bed and they all sat there sipping their drinks for a while. At last, Em shook himself and thanked Brian for the drink and the time. He started to talk.

Brian and Michael had been so caught up in their own relationship they hadn’t paid any attention to the other members of their group so it was something of a surprise to them to learn that Ben and Emmet had been together almost all the time. In fact, Emmet could not remember the last time he’d spent the night with Conner or Justin. It was always Ben. Brian slapped him on the back and told him he was really happy for them both. Emmet said he hadn’t done it deliberately, it just happened but he should have been paying more attention. Michael arched an eyebrow at him in a silent question.

“Because he thought we were forming a ‘relationship’ and when I said I hoped I would find what you two have, he realized I wasn’t serious about him like he was about me. He just told me he wouldn’t be with me anymore because it was too painful to know I didn’t feel the same way he did. I may not be head over heels in love with him but I care for him a lot and I miss him.”

Both Brian and Michael were at a loss to know what to do about this situation. It had the potential for danger and was much too reminiscent of the whole ‘Drew’ incident. They all missed Drew when he left and they still missed him but losing Ben would be a terrible blow especially now so close to Election Day. Michael asked Emmet if he wanted him to talk to him and Em said no, it would be too embarrassing. Brian thought for a while and then said, “I think I need to talk to him. We can’t afford to have Ben leave us the way Drew did. I need to see if there isn’t some way we can keep him without making it painful for him. I have to say, I sympathize with him. Not that I don’t feel sorry for you because I do but being deeply in love with someone and knowing they don’t feel the same way about you has to be torture. “

Emmet was even more upset then because he had been so caught up in his own emotions he never gave a thought to what it might mean for their team. He was very close to being in tears and Michael looked over his head at Brian.

“Maybe I ought to stay with Em tonight if that’s okay with you?”

“No it’s not okay with me.”

Both Emmet and Michael looked at Brian in open-mouthed astonishment and Michael started to say something but Brian beat him to it.

“He needs a lot of attention right now so he’s going to stay with us tonight and he gets the middle. Just make sure everyone is wearing sleep pants and we all sort of keep our hands to ourselves.”

Brian got what he wanted, a smile from Emmet and a small chuckle from Michael. Brian picked up the glasses, went over to their dresser and pulled out a pair of pants for Michael and one for himself. He pulled back the covers and waited until first Em and then Michael crawled into the big comfy bed then he turned off the lights and went around to his side. He got into the bed and waited for the feeling of discomfort to surface but strangely, nothing happened. He didn’t mind being in bed with Em at all. He was sure he would be weirded out trying to sleep next to any man but Michael but Em seemed to have a niche in Brian’s heart that was just for him.

He turned over, put his arm over Em and found that sure enough, Michael’s arm was already firmly in place holding his grieving friend. He put his hand on Michael’s arm and they all went to sleep.

Em lay there for a while trying to figure out what he was supposed to be feeling now. The familiar comfort of Michael’s body was soothing his battered emotions but he was most surprised to find that having Brian next to him holding him just like Michael was every bit as good. He fell asleep wondering what the hell they were getting themselves into and it was the best night’s sleep he’d had since the shooting.

The next day, Brian bit the bullet and asked Ben if he could speak with him privately. Ben gave him a thoughtful look and then nodded. They went into the adjoining suite and shut the door. Brian asked Ben if he wanted some water or iced tea and Ben said tea sounded fine. They found what they needed in the always fully stocked kitchenette that was a major requirement no matter what hotel they used, got their drinks and settled down in two club chairs.

“You know I have to talk to you about the situation with Emmet.”

“It’s really none of your business Brian.”

“Normally, I would agree but Ben, you have to admit, our current circumstances are so far from normal we’re practically on another planet. We, all of us, love you and Emmet both and we don’t want either one of you suffering but Ben, damn it, we need you. This campaign needs you and Michael and I both desperately need you. We can’t afford to have you leave us now the way Drew did so is there some way we can all still work together and not have you in pain all the time?”

Ben just stared at Brian for a second and then he nodded slowly. “You know, I never even thought about the effect this would have on the campaign. I agree my leaving would be bad for everyone. I’m not being conceited but I do have a lot to offer and I’m carrying a lot of responsibilities that Conner and Justin can’t handle no matter how hard they try.”

Brian shook his head firmly. “There is no conceit involved here at all; just a plain statement of fact. You are carrying more than your load and both Emmet and I have said many times, we wouldn’t be able to write the speeches as well as we are if it weren’t for your research, your input and your knowledge. You do know Michael wants you to be part of his cabinet if he by some miracle does get elected?”

Ben did a double take. “No I hadn’t really thought about it. We’ve all been so focused on just trying to get through one month at a time that I haven’t thought that far in the future.”

“He wants you for Attorney General or head of Homeland Security. He hasn’t made up his mind for sure as yet and by the way, that’s not a bribe to make you stay. That’s me telling you how much you mean to both of us and how much we want to have you with us for years to come.”

Ben just sat there for a second. “You know, well you don’t because you got your heart’s desire, it’s like a small death every time I see him or hear him. So many people just look at the surface and dismiss Em as a ‘gay man’. They never bother to look deeper and see the intelligence, the humor, the really oddball take on the way the world works. He makes me happy and contented and up until the other night, I thought I was beginning to make him feel that way also. I just want to go somewhere and lick my wounds and I can’t because of this fuckin’ campaign.”

Brian got up and went over to Ben. He squatted down beside him and took his hands in his. “God Ben please let me try to help you; let Michael try to help you. We don’t want you to be hurting like this. I don’t know if it will help or hurt to know but Emmet is in as much pain as you are. He feels terrible that he didn’t realize he was sending the wrong signals to you. He does love you.”

Ben interrupted. “Yeah he loves me but he’s not IN LOVE with me and that’s what I want and after seeing you and Michael I will be damned if I settle for anything else.”

“So what’s it gonna be? Can you stay and handle your feelings? Why don’t you try being together for a while? Maybe now that Em knows how you feel, he might be looking at everything in a different light? You know when Em was telling us how he knew I was coming long before I met him; he said he decided to take advantage of the time he had left with Michael and enjoy every single second. Maybe you two are meant to be together but it’s just taking you a different route to get to that point.”

Ben thought for a second then he said, “I promise you I won’t leave the campaign no matter what I decide. I can handle my feelings and act like an adult. As for the rest, I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you let me send Emmet in here and the two of you just talk to each other? Maybe that will help you make up your mind?”

Ben nodded. He asked Brian to give him about ten minutes to get himself together and then send in Em.

While Brian was talking with Ben, Michael had been in deep conversation with Conner and Justin. He wanted to know if they knew what was going on. They both said they had noticed that Ben and Em were together every single night and they were beginning to think there was something serious building between them.

Michael looked at the two handsome men. “That means that you and Justin have been together every single night. Is something serious building between you two?”

Conner and Justin looked at each other and they both shook their heads no. Conner said, “I know I feel a lot more for Justin that I did when we started. At first, he was just a cool friend and a great piece of ass. Now, he’s a friend that I would trust with my life. But I don’t think either one of us is ready for a little cottage with a white picket fence…are we Justin?”

“Maybe someday but right now…no. I’ve got so many things I want to do with my life and my music and being in a serious, steady relationship would be a total distraction. I don’t want to go more than a few weeks without being with you though because I feel the same way about you.”

Michael let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank God! Not that I don’t want you two to be happy if that’s what you want but right now, romance is tearing us a new ass hole. If you aren’t a ‘couple’ then can you both make an effort to spend time with Ben and Emmet and you know when I say time I mean fuck their brains out.”

Conner and Justin both laughed out loud. Justin just shook his head and said with a deep sigh, “God the things I sacrifice myself for just to get you elected president. Now I have to screw two really great, wonderful sexy men. How will I ever survive?”

Michael just laughed at him and said, “How will all of us survive with you and your martyr complex?”

About that time, Brian came out of the other suite and asked where Emmet was. Michael said he had just completed his physical therapy and should be out of the shower by now. He asked what had happened and Brian just shook his head at him and said Ben wasn’t going to leave them and that’s the only thing he knew for sure. All three of the men let out a loud sigh. They had all been afraid they would lose Big Ben and no one wanted that to happen. Just knowing he would stick it out with them gave everyone hope that this mess might sort itself out. Brian went to talk with Emmet.

Emmet agreed to speak with Ben and they were behind closed doors for several hours. Neither man ever spoke about what went on. Em didn’t even tell Michael but they did try to regain their old affection. It just didn’t work. Ben could not forget that Em wasn’t in love with him and Em was trying so hard he wasn’t himself. Within a few weeks, they agreed they would try to remain friends but being lovers was out of the question. Conner and Justin were so busy trying to keep both men occupied they didn’t get to spend another night together until after Election Day.

Things settled into an uneasy armistice and everyone hoped the worst was behind them at least until November. They were so wrong. They were about to be hit with a problem that made the death threats, physical assaults and name calling a walk in the park.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst happens and Michael and Brian face the biggest danger they could imagine. Peter Roca finds himself right in the middle and faced with the possiblility that everything may end in the most horrible way.

They had made it. All the work, the worry, the danger; it had all come down to this one event. Tomorrow, citizens of the United States of America would go to the polls and vote for the next president. For the first time in recorded history, an openly gay candidate was not only on the ballot but he was actually in the running. The media was calling it the election of the century. Some of them were saying it might well be the most important event ever in the history of the nation.

Michael and his men were too damn tired to even be excited. They’d survived months and months of threats, vilifying and name calling on a level never before seen in a political campaign. They’d been shot at and hit. They’d survived it all and here they were; the day before it all came to a head.

For Michael and Brian it was particularly bittersweet. They were waiting for Peter to arrive with Brian’s wife and son. It would be the first time they had seen each other since their bitter fight when Brian returned to the campaign after his wounding. They had been talking on the phone for the last few weeks and were at least cordial with each other now. Peter had arranged for everything and had made it a point to pick Lindsay and Gus up personally in his big Rolls. He knew luxury, quiet understated luxury, impressed Lindsay and he was doing everything he could to smooth things over between them. He wanted the press to see a loving, united family casting their vote for Michael on Election Day. He knew the press adored Lindsay and they thought Gus was the Crown Prince of the campaign.

Brian and Michael were trying hard to keep everything light and casual but it was so hard. They had been together every single moment since that three-day sabbatical that had changed everything for them. They slept together every night and even when Emmet was with them, it was still good. Emmet did not intrude on their bond, if anything he seemed to be a part of it. When Brian tried to think the situation through in his own mind, he just got confused and decided to think about it later. All he knew was he felt like he was in a threesome; only having sex with only one partner. He knew he felt more for Emmet than he did for the other men he worked and lived with but less than he felt for Michael. He hoped that after the election was over when things returned to normal, he would be able to straighten it all out in his mind.

He didn’t want Lindsay to come here. He desperately wanted to see his son but he felt nothing for his wife any longer. He respected her and he always would; she was the mother of his son and she had done nothing to deserve this. He wanted a divorce. He wanted to be with Michael. He wanted his son. He wanted to do the right thing by Lindsay. He was prepared to give her every single cent he had to keep her comfortable for the rest of her life; anything, just so long as he could have Michael. He could not stand it another minute. He stood up and walked over to Michael. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of his chair and into the next room. He pushed him back against the door as soon as it was closed and kissed him as though it would be the last kiss they would ever share. He felt almost as though it was. Michael didn’t complain or try to get away. He was just as desperate as Brian and he kissed him back with all the love he felt for him. They clung together until Michael's phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the text message. It was from Tracy. Peter and Brian’s family had just arrived at the hotel.

Everyone was waiting in the living room of the suite when Peter opened the door and stood aside to let Lindsay and Gus enter. Brian walked forward and kissed his wife on the cheek. Thank God for Gus. He was so happy to see his dad he just leaped on him and almost knocked him flat on his back. He did knock him clear back into Ben who grabbed him and saved him from a painful fall. Brian was laughing and trying to hug his squirming boy who was trying to hug his father and tell him every single thing that had happened since he last saw him. Everyone laughed and it broke the ice. Michael stepped forward, shook Lindsay’s hand and told her how happy they were to have her there for the big day. He stepped back and all the others crowded around her asking about her trip and her vacation in Europe.

Conner and Melanie were the only ones missing. Conner was in California casting his vote in his home state. Melanie was home in New York with her large family. Ben, Michael, Brian, Justin and Emmet were all residents of Pittsburgh so they were all back home for the voting. They had decided to stay at a downtown hotel because of the press and because there were so many people who wanted to wait out the results with them. Lindsay and Gus had been in Europe with her parents and they had all flown in for the occasion. Her parents were staying at their home rather than at the hotel with the rest of the party. Justin’s mother and grandparents were there. All of Emmet’s large clan was on site and enjoying themselves immensely. Michael’s mother and uncle would arrive in a few hours. Everything was ready for tomorrow. Tonight would be a huge party for Michael’s rank and file workers and everyone was looking forward to that.

**************************

The party was in full swing. Everyone was having a ball including the parents of the candidate and his associates. Debbie was in her element with all the good-looking young men present who were more than anxious to dance with the legendary Debbie Novotny. Michael’s Uncle Vic was buried in sweet young things who adored his continental charm and manners. Even Lindsay had thawed enough to dance with quite a few people including her husband. She was out on the floor right then dancing with Justin while a line of eager young men were waiting their turns to cut in. Brian took the opportunity to slip away with Michael for a few quiet moments.

They found a deserted room off the Grand Salon where the dance was held and just sat there holding hands for a moment. At last Brian looked at his watch and said, “I hate this but we need to get back. We’ve been gone for almost 20 minutes and people will be looking for you. Everyone wants to have their moment with the man of the hour; including me.”

Michael held Brian’s hand to his cheek and then turned his head and pressed a kiss into his palm.

“I wish we were just Michael and Brian. I wish we were somewhere all by ourselves and we could look forward to watching the news and then going to bed. I wish we were just ordinary people.”

Brian knew just how he felt. “I know, God how I know. I love you Michael and someday we will have our time. I just don’t know for sure when it will be but it will come; I promise you.”

They stood up and started to leave. Suddenly Brian turned and pulled Michael against him. He kissed him hard and backed him up against a table against the wall. He was so lost in the kiss he hadn’t heard the door open. He didn’t know there was anyone there until the vase crashed into the wall next to his head. He ducked and turned. Lindsay was standing in the door and she was raging. She had grabbed the vase off the console table next to the door and was reaching for a heavy statue. She had it ready to throw when Peter Roca appeared in the doorway behind her and took it out of her hands. Before she could start screaming, Peter stepped forward and pushed her into the room and shut the door. She broke away from him and rushed at Brian with her hands outstretched and her long nails aimed for his face. She was so angry she was no longer sane. All she wanted to do was kill the man she had sworn to love, honor and cherish. She could not believe what she had seen when she opened the door. Brian, her Brian, had pushed that man back and then kissed him and she had seen the way he was kissing him. He had never kissed her like that; all tongue and teeth and wet saliva. She had seen the string of spit on their tongues when they had parted for a second to grab a breath. She wanted him dead. She didn’t want to have to think about letting him touch her and have sex with her. She didn’t want to think about having a son with this disgusting pervert.

Peter thanked his lucky stars that there was so much noise outside in the Salon that no one had heard the crash of the vase or the screams coming out of Lindsay. She was yelling obscenities at Brian and was so angry she was spitting. Suddenly Lindsay stopped screaming almost as quickly as she had started. She looked at Brian and Michael with death in her eyes.

“Just wait until I tell the reporters what I saw when I walked into this room. Just wait until they hear about how you seduced a married man with a child away from his family and into your disgusting life style. You won’t be able to get elected dog-catcher when I’m through with you and you...”

She looked at Brian with disgust and anger.

“You will pay with every single cent you have to your name. I will see to it that you never see your son again and I will make sure he knows exactly what kind of man his father is; what disgusting things you’ve been doing with a man when you were supposed to be working for the good of the nation. Oh I’ll make sure you are so completely disgraced you will never be able to work in any school again. I’m going to make you pay and pay and pay for what you’ve done. Just wait.”

Peter walked forward and gently laid a hand on Lindsay’s arm.

“My dear, calm yourself; you’re going to make yourself sick. You can’t let them do this to you. Don’t stoop to their level. Come over here and sit down. “

Then he turned to Michael and Brian. He shook his head slowly and said, “I want both of you to get out of our sight. I don’t know how you could do this to a woman like Lindsay. This is just unforgivable. Get out of our sight but don’t go too far. I’m going to speak to both of you when I’m through here.”

He walked over and opened the door. He stood aside as Brian and Michael walked silently out the door. He quietly whispered to them, “Go to the adjoining office and wait until I come to you. Don’t say a word to anyone.”

The two shaken men walked quietly to the back elevators and slipped up to the spare room. They walked into the study, took off their jackets and both of them fixed a stiff drink. They sat down and sipped their drink. Then both started talking at the same time.

Michael: “God Bri, I’m so damn sorry. This is all my fault.”

Brian: “Michael, I’m sorry. I should have had more control.”

Finally, they both smiled at their garbled attempts and just stopped talking for a while. Brian looked at Michael and thought to himself that he was worth it all even though he knew if he lost Gus he would mourn for him for the rest of his life. If he lost Michael, he would lose his heart and soul, not to mention his reason for living.

“Michael, I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this. I never meant to expose you to that.”

“Brian, I’m the one who made a pass at a married man. I knew you had a wife and a son but God I wanted you so damn much I didn’t care. I thought if I could just have one night with you it would be worth everything. I never thought you could care about me the way I cared about you.”

“Yeah but I’m the one who acted like an over-sexed teen. All I had to do was wait until the day after tomorrow and then it would all have been over. I could have asked for a divorce, offered her a lot of money and none of this would have come out. Well it wouldn’t have come out right away. Eventually, folks would notice that we were always together.”

They both smiled at each other and fell silent. They sat there waiting. It took almost three hours.

Finally, the door opened and Peter walked into the room followed by a grim faced Lindsay. She took a seat as far away from the two men as possible. Peter stood before them almost like a stern father about to read the riot act to his misbehaving sons.

“Well, Lindsay has once again displayed the grace and good breeding she is so famous for. She has agreed to put aside her own pain and anger for the common good. She feels that she owes her country the right to a truly unbiased election for the first time in a long time. We have come to some decisions. These decisions are not up for discussion. She is being very generous to both of you. She could be vindictive and cruel and ruin you both. She could take your son away Brian and see to that you never see him again. Michael, she could make sure you never get a chance to run for anything ever again. This is what she is going to do.

If Michael loses the election, she will divorce you Brian. You will give her this divorce and a very, very generous financial settlement that includes all tangible assets held by either of you to date. In return Lindsay is prepared to give you extremely liberal visiting rights with Gus. She realizes that despite everything you have been a good father and Gus adores you. She does not want to be the type of woman who destroys her son’s trust in his father and poisons his feelings about marriage and children of his own. She will never discuss what occurred downstairs with anyone nor are either of you to mention it. Whatever ‘relationship’ the two of you may have in the future, you are to make sure she and Gus are not embarrassed.”

Peter stopped and walked over and got a drink of water.

“Now, if Michael is elected, that will be an entirely different set of circumstances. I have informed Lindsay that Brian will be a part of your cabinet and will be spending most of his time in Washington DC. It would be to everyone’s advantage to maintain the illusion of a happy, strong marriage. Lindsay is prepared to do this for the good of the country and her son. I have made her a proposition, which also is not up for discussion. Michael, you obviously do not have a First Lady. I have spoken to your mother at length about this and she is not interested in the position. She doesn’t care for all the formalities and planning that the position requires. Lindsay has trained all her life for this and she will be perfect. As Michael’s Official Hostess, she will need to have complete access to the White House so she has agreed that she and Gus will move to Washington and will occupy a suite of rooms in the White House. She will plan all formal dinners and parties, greet the heads of state and generally fill the position that Michael’s wife would fill if he had one. She will appear with you Brian at all activities and will maintain the appearance of a loving and faithful wife. That won’t be hard for her since she was not the one who breeched the marriage vows. You will display affection and pride in her at all times. This will continue as long as you are in office. When you leave office, you two will divorce but neither of you is ever to make an unkind remark about each other. Do you all agree to these conditions?”

Both Michael and Brian nodded their acceptance. Neither man had said a word since he started talking. Peter took another sip of water.

“All of this is to be put in writing and each one of you will have a copy. If any of the conditions are breeched at any time, the contract will become null and void and Lindsay will take whatever action she feels proper at that time.”

Lindsay stood up and glared at both men. “There is just one more thing. Brian you will be present as much as possible to put Gus to bed and kiss him good night. When you leave his room you get the hell out of my sight and go where every you want as long as it’s away from me. Peter, I’m going to my room now. I will be ready at 9.00am for the photographers before we go to vote.”

She left the room and the three men just looked at each other. Finally Michael took a deep breath and said, “My good Lord, how did you ever get her to agree to all that?”

Peter put down his water, went over and poured about two ounces of brandy in a snifter. He swirled the liquid around the large glass and inhaled deeply. He swallowed the whole thing before he put the glass down. “Lindsay is very interested in being in the public eye. However, she has to be presented in a certain way. I just pointed out to her that admitting in a public court that her husband preferred a man to her could be very embarrassing. When I offered the post as Official White House Hostess she realized she would be on the same level as Jackie Kennedy and all the other First Ladies. It was something she could not resist. Brian, she will take you to the cleaners. If Michael loses and you two divorce, she will take every cent you have. You will be as poor as a church mouse. I will try to keep her from taking your future earnings but you need to realize how much this is going to cost you.”

Brian took a deep breath, got up and walked over to Peter. He shook his hand and said, “Peter, if I have Michael, I have everything I need. I can write another book, I can take a position teaching anywhere. It doesn’t matter as long as we are together.”

Suddenly he realized he was talking for someone besides himself. He looked at Michael. Maybe he wouldn’t want him if he knew he was going to be broke.

Michael smiled at him. He walked over and put his arms around Brian. “You’re worth everything to me Bri. We won’t be broke because she can’t get to what I have and everything I have is yours.”

Peter smiled at both of them. “Bless you my children. Now let’s get some sleep because tomorrow is only a few hours away. I’m assuming you will both be in the same place until I come to get you for the photo shoot?”

“Yes Peter, we will be in the same place. We will be in the same place hopefully for the rest of our lives.”

They left the study with their arms around each other. Peter was still smiling when the door shut behind them. He wished them well. He hoped to God that Lindsay would not self-destruct and that her naturally selfish disposition would continue to work for them.

Peter was amazed. Lindsay had missed her calling. She should have been an award-winning actress. She posed with Brian, smiling at him with a loving expression on her face. She held his arm and kept her hand on his arm or shoulder. The photographers ate it up. They loved her and Debbie. They shot dozens of shots of all of them and lots of photos of Michael and Debbie, Michael and his men, Brian and Lindsay, Brian, Lindsay and Gus. Finally Peter broke it up and they took off for the voting precincts.

It took until after midnight but at long last the final results were in. According to the popular vote, Michael Charles Novotny was the first homosexual president of the United States of America. It took two more weeks and a ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States but the popular vote was upheld. Not only was Michael the first gay president, he was also the president who did away with the Electoral College. From that time forward, all presidents were elected by popular vote.

Epilog Next


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of Michael's first year in office and a lot has happened. We get a small look at what he's accomplished so far and Brian pays a visit to an old friend and asks a most surprising question.

EPILOGUE – One Year after Election

Peter Roca was sitting in his comfortable club chair in his comfortable study sipping on a particularly fine old brandy. Tonight Michael had made his first State of the Union Speech and it had been a doozy. The past year had been the most tumultuous in the history of the country. There had been riots, attempted assassinations, more rhetoric than you could imagine and a lot of hard work on the part of Michael’s cabinet. Peter smiled when he thought about Michael’s cabinet.

When Michael first made public his list of appointees, the press had screamed until their throats hurt. One word blazed from every headline, every internet article, every newscast and that word was NEPOTISM. Of particular concern was Michael’s selection of his uncle Victorio Grassi as Secretary of State. Everyone said the same thing; he had no political experience. Michael’s response was one for the books. He said he didn’t want a politician, he wanted a statesman. He wanted a man of integrity who was comfortable anywhere he happened to be in the world. He pointed out the fact that the Grassi’s were related by blood or marriage to every single royal family in Europe, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway…well, you get the picture. When his interviewer pointed out that except for England there were no more royals holding any power, Michael had just smiled and told the guy he didn’t know what he was talking about.

“American’s just don’t understand the European or Continental feelings about their royals. They may have replaced monarchies with so-called democratic systems but they still love and respect their royals and every politician worth his salt knows damn well that the royal families still hold a lot of power. Besides, Uncle Vic is not only tight with the royals; he’s been active in the European Common Market for years now. He has friends and partners all over the world. If anyone can get us a chance to talk to someone important in a foreign government, it’s Uncle Vic.

When the French Prime Minister accepted an invitation to visit Michael at the White House it was the first thaw in the cold war between France and the US since long before the Iranian war. Everyone was watching with bated breath. It was also Lindsay’s first appearance as the White House Hostess. There would be a welcoming dinner that evening honoring the Prime Minister and his wife and Lindsay had spared no pains. She had accomplished miracles especially since she did it all on a budget. Michael had made it clear as the President that she did not have carte blanche to spend anything she wanted. He had promised the American people that he would watch government spending like it was his own money and that was one campaign promise he intended to keep. He did sweeten the bad news with the remark that if anyone in the world could make $1,000 look like a million it was Lindsay. He said she had imagination and style and that was worth more than money any day of the week. He was learning from Peter how to handle Lindsay. Lindsay had designed the whole evening to resemble an evening in the French countryside rather than a trip to Versailles.

That afternoon there was a short meeting with the press to allow them some photo ops. They had just gotten started when things were interrupted by an enthusiastic Gus running full tilt at Michael. He launched himself through the air and landed in Michael’s arms. Fortunately, Joe was right there to back Michael up and keep the President from landing on his ass in front of every photographer in the world. Gus was talking a mile a minute and he was so excited he wasn’t making a lot of sense. Michael held the little boy and rubbed his back to soothe him and slow him down a little. He managed to get Gus to stop and take a breath and then gently reminded him that he was not supposed to interrupt the grown-ups when they were talking business. Gus turned red and ducked his head.

“I’m sorry Uncle Mikey but I flew on my dragon for the first time and I just had to come tell you. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

Michael grinned, hugged the little boy tightly and swung him around in a big circle.

“Ah Gus, that’s just so cool! You really flew Draco all by yourself and you both got back down safe and sound? “

When Gus nodded an enthusiastic yes, Michael hugged him again and told him he was so proud of him. Then he turned him towards the French Prime Minister. “Sir, this young man is Gus Kinney. He’s the son of my Secretary of Education and my Acting White House Hostess. As you can see, he’s quite a handful. I know you have a boy of your own so please will you accept our apologies for the interruption and our assurance that Gus had no idea we had a guest of such importance?”

Monsieur De la Croix smiled at the boy and said he understood the interruption but he didn’t quite understand what had caused it; it sounded as though the boy said he’d flown a dragon? Michael laughed again and said that’s exactly what he said. He explained the game he and Emmet had designed for young Gus and told the Prime Minister that he’d been trying to fly on the dragons back for the last two months but something always went wrong. Gus had finally gotten all the problems worked out and he and his dragon could now travel over the country. De la Croix asked what game he was playing. He had a little boy who was born with spina bifida and he was often confined to his bed for long periods. He loved computer games and he loved dragons but he was sure he’d never seen a game like Gus was describing.

Gus told him with great pride that there was only one copy of the game in the world because his Uncle Mike and his Uncle Em had made it just for him. The Prime Minister lost his smile for a moment and then said that was wonderful for Gus and he was sorry to hear that because he knew his boy would love the game. It would be a way for him to leave his sickroom and be an active normal little boy.

Gus looked at him for a minute and asked him what was wrong with his boy. Monsieur De la Croix told him that he was born with something wrong with his back so he couldn’t do any of the things most little boys could do. Gus turned to his Uncle Mike and asked him if he couldn’t make another dragon game for the sick little boy. Michael said of course they could if Gus said to do it because it was his game and he controlled the output. Gus told him to do it and Michael told the Prime Minister he would see to it that he had a copy of the game to take home to his son when he and his wife returned to Paris.

You could not buy that kind of international détente for any amount of money.

Gus stayed glued to the Prime Minister and his wife for the rest of their visit asking them all kinds of questions about their son. He had already won their hearts but he reduced them almost to tears when he asked if they would let him be e-mail pals and talk to their son. He said he could give him hints about how to get started with his game and tell him all about the US and Rene, the young boy, could teach him all about France. Needless-to-say, the meeting was a tremendous success. They parted with promises that Michael would visit France within the next three months and bring Gus with him so the two boys could meet each other in person. It was the start of a new relationship between the two families and the two countries.

Peter smiled in remembrance of how the news stories about ‘nepotism’ just suddenly seemed to taper off. The first two months of Michael’s term were a nightmare. Every elected official seemed determined to totally ignore the will of the people and make sure this faggot upstart didn’t get anywhere in Washington. There were a few of the younger Senators and Congressmen who were willing to work with him but younger meant they didn’t have the seniority or the clout so everything was at a standstill. That changed one cold morning in March when gunshots rang out throughout Washington DC.

In twelve separate but coordinated assassination attempts, violence once again took front and center stage. The attacks all occurred within ten minutes of each other. Five targets escaped completely because of random events. One Senator dropped his notes and bent down to pick them up, one stopped to shake someone’s hand, one leaned back to talk to his aide…you get the picture. Of the remaining seven shootings, four were just flesh wounds, two were serious and one was potentially critical. Washington was in a state of panic. Michael immediately went on the air to reassure the American people that no one was killed and that all twelve men were safe for the time being. Of course, every single political bigwig demanded full security. After determining that they could not cover all the Congressmen and all the Senators, even if they called out the CIA, FBI, Secret Service AND the National Guard, Michael conferred with his advisors. Ben had accepted the post of Attorney General and Aaron Hotchner had taken over the FBI. Emmet was head of Homeland Security. They were still looking for someone to head up the CIA because Michael was determined that for the first time in recorded history, every single agency in the US designed to handle any sort of trouble would work together. He would not tolerate anymore posturing and withholding data. They were going to be a team or he would fire people until he got the right mix. Ben found some ruling regarding martial law and that together with the wide latitude Emmet controlled as head of Homeland Security (thanks to George W.) they came up with a plan.

Michael declared martial law in the nation’s capital. He called out the National Guard and as many detachments of Special Forces as could be spared. He had both Air Force One's fired up and ready and he sent all the politicians back to their home states under heavy armed guard. He made another appearance on national TV explaining his reasons. He said having all the important people in one city was like offering the terrorist their own personal shooting gallery. He also pointed out that there weren’t enough guards in the city and the surrounding states to care for all the potential targets. By returning the politico’s and their families to their own home states, they would be spread out all over the country and all the resources of each state could be devoted to their care and protection. He said that until they were able to travel, the wounded were under heavy guard at Walter Reed and as soon as the doctors said it was safe, they would be flown to their respective states.

He said that obviously he would be staying where he was. He was the head of the country and it wouldn’t look right for him to be running for cover. He also mentioned that he had tried to send his cabinet home but they refused to go so his advisors would all be remaining in Washington DC with him. They would all be under heavy armed guard at all times.

The newspapers carried pictures of the evacuation. Two months into his term and the pictures began his legend. The contrast between the old-time politicians and their families scuttling into the planes complete surrounded by armed guards and Michael, Melanie and his Cabinet standing in the open watching was aired around the globe. Oddly enough, Lindsay refused to leave even though both Michael and Brian wanted her to. It had nothing to do with their relationship, they were afraid someone would decide she was a good target now that she had ties to both Brian and Michael. Lindsay said she had things that needed to be done and she was not about to be driven out of her home or away from her duties by a bunch of criminals. She did agree to send Gus to Pennsylvania to her parents for a few weeks. The shots showed Michael and Melanie standing arm and arm next to Brian and Lindsay who were also arm in arm. Emmet (Homeland Security), Aaron (FBI), Cynthia (Secretary of Labor), Ben (Attorney General), Ted Schmidt (Secretary of the Treasury), Robbie Burns (Surgeon General), Peter Roca and several of the Foundation members and of course Conner, Justin and Drew who had all flown to Washington when they heard the news were standing behind them in a close circle. They made sure they were present for every single departure until there wasn’t a politician left in the city. Then they went to work.

Six weeks later Michael went on National TV and announced the end of the IRS. It would be phased out in four months. A VAT (value-added-tax) of 15% would be added to everything except food, medicine and health supplies. Items over $25,000 dollars would be taxed at 20%, over $50,000 at 25% and anything over $100,000 at 30%. Merchants would collect the VAT just as they did sales tax and forward it to the US Treasury. A reporter asked about all the people working at the IRS, what would happen to them now that they were out of a job. Michael told him no one would lose his or her job. One third of the workers would remain to insure complete compliance with the new law, one third would be retrained as Medicare Fraud Inspectors and the last third would be retrained as Welfare Fraud Inspectors. He said based on their prior year records, Ted Schmidt put their savings on paper, printer costs at over 139 Million Dollars, and that was just for the next six months.

Peter decided it was getting late and he needed to stop his trip down memory lane and try to get some sleep. He got up and started to turn off his lamp when he heard a knock on his door. By now, it was well after 2:30am. He picked up a Rutger he kept handy in his desk drawer and went to the front door. He looked at the image transferred by the security camera above his front door. It was Brian Kinney.

“Brian what on earth are you doing here at this ungodly hour of the night? Is everything all right? Please don't tell me there's been more shootings?”

“No Peter, I just needed to see you and this was the only time I had. I saw your light on in your study so I knew you were still awake. Do you have a minute…or two?”

“For you my boy, always. Come in. How about a Jim Beam to keep away the cold.”

“That sounds just about perfect.”

They got settled in Peter’s study with their drinks and then Peter leaned forward and asked, “How in the world did you get away from Michael?”

“Well, truthfully, I fucked him into unconsciousness and then snuck out.”

“Oh my God Brian. What is it the kids say? TMI Too Much Information.”

“Why Peter, I thought you collected all sorts of information. That should have been right up your alley.”

“Not sexual information about my friends. I draw the line there. Now what did you need from me?”

“I need the answer to a question.”

“Ask away…If I’m able, I will answer.”

“Who was older; you or Jesus?”

There was complete silence in the study. Peter had started to take a sip of his brandy when Brian asked his question. He halted then went ahead and took a drink.

“I’m not sure I understand that question.”

“Well, the bible isn’t clear on the subject. Most scholars place Peter as older than Jesus but younger than his brother Simon so I just want to know from the horse’s mouth; were you older than the son of God?”

“What do you think you know Brian?”

“I know that numbers can mean a lot of different things to people. When I first met you and the members of the Foundation, I felt like I was being judged by a jury of my peers. After all, there were twelve of you, same as a jury panel. Then one day, Tracy, Emmet and Justin were talking about the number seven. Justin said there was only the seven days in a week but Emmet reminded him there were seven deadly sins. Tracy popped up and added the seven cardinal virtues. Then Michael walked through and threw out the seven wonders of the ancient and modern worlds. I suddenly realized there was another famous twelve. I went and got a letterhead from the Foundation and there you all were. Peter Roca, Andrew Roca, James Wilson, John Wilson, Phillip Barlow, Bartholomew Masters, Thomas Rogers, Mathew Dunn, James Younger, Thaddeus Younger, Simon Zealor, Jude S Walker and Mathias Lateman.

The names of the twelve apostles of Christ although I do admit it took a minute to connect Jude S to Judas but when I did, it was so clear. You and Andrew were brothers. He was the one who brought you to Jesus in the first place. James and John Wilson; James and John were also brothers. James and Thaddeus; you know James is always referred to as ‘James the younger’ so he and his brother took that as their last names. Simon Zealor or Simon the Zealot and finally Mathias Lateman. The last apostle, the latest man added to make an even twelve after Judas killed himself. It was all there and you weren’t exactly subtle yourself. Every bible scholar in the world knows that when Jesus said he would build his church upon this rock, he wasn’t referring to a geographical location. He meant Peter. He called Peter his rock; Roca is Italian for rock.”

Peter sat his brandy down on the desk. “It seems somewhat ironic that someone who talks like an agnostic should be the one to discover the truth in all these centuries. By the way, I was older but he was so much wiser. I’m amazed you even believe in the twelve apostles; you don’t seem to believe in much else in Christianity.”

“Ah but Peter, you forget; I’m a researcher and a historian. We know that there are kernels of truth hidden in legends, nursery rhymes, old folk tales; even the bible, which I firmly believe to be a collection of stories written by old tribal leaders who wanted to twist history to recognize their version of what happened. What I don’t understand is why you’re here. Oh yeah I know you betrayed Christ not once but three times but Good Lord you paid for that. You and all the other’s paid such a huge price if the legends are correct. You all were tortured to death for your beliefs; well there is some confusion as to what happened to John. We know he was taken prisoner by the Romans after he wrote the book of Revelations and it’s generally believed he was put to death. If that’s the case then not a one of you was spared with the exception of Judas who killed himself. My God how much penance does God require from you?”

“None my boy. I was forgiven before I denied him the first time. We were all forgiven our sins and we did all die for our beliefs and our attempts to continue his teachings. We all went to be with our Heavenly Father. I asked to come back and watch over this world. My companions all volunteered to come with me.”

“But Why?”

“Brian, you have no idea how much God loves you and this world he created for you. He really did create the world you know. Oh not in the seven days it says in all the stories. The scientists have the right of it but God himself caused all that to happen. He was responsible for ‘the Big Bang’. He worked on the creation of this entire solar system for eons. Sometimes he would get distracted and go take care of other matters and then he did make a mistake or two. We learned never to mention the dinosaurs in his presence. He thought he was creating something unusual to amaze and amuse the inhabitants he would bring forth to populate his new worlds. He left the newly developed solar system while he handled other affairs and when he got back, he discovered that the dinosaurs had taken over the planet. There was no way in the world his creations would survive them so he caused the Ice Age to get rid of the last of them. If you will notice, he kept his enhancements on a smaller scale after that. When he got everything the way he wanted it, he created man and woman in his own image. He put them on this Eden and watched over them but Lucifer managed to corrupt the woman. He had been banished from Heaven for his prideful ways. It was not an easy thing to do because God dearly loved him but he knew he had to go. That’s why the struggle between good and evil is so deadly because the love was so strong in the beginning.

It didn’t take long for you humans to begin to corrupt this beautiful world. God finally got so disgusted he sent his son to try to turn things around but Lucifer had done his work too well. God was going to destroy everything but Jesus offered his own life to give his father’s creations some more time to redeem themselves. When that didn’t work, God almost gave up on the earth. That’s when I offered to come here and try to influence the human race to turn itself around and realize what a magnificent gift they had. My companions and I were given strict guidelines to follow. We had all sorts of rules; things we could do and things we couldn’t. We don’t have a lot of time left. God is losing patience with you and when his wrath becomes more than he can control, he will destroy everything he created.”

“Has Michael changed anything at all?”

“Oh yes he has. All our predictions showed we should have had a massive race riot in Harlem six to eight months after the election of this president. It didn’t occur. Michael went to Harlem and he explained his hopes for this country in clear concise terms. He reached their hearts and they decided to give him time and a chance. It’s a start. It’s given us all hope here at the Foundation. Now what are you going to do with this information.”

“Keep on loving Michael. Keep on working to repair the neglect and damage of almost two hundred years. Raise my son to be a good man.”

Brian stood up and got ready to leave. Peter walked with him to the door.

“Brian, I really don’t know the future but I do have inside information on a few things. I’m going to give you a few hints of what is coming. One; you and Michael will have to wait a long time to be together and open about your feelings. He’s going to remain in power for years and you and the others will be by his side through all that time. Two; Emmet will find his ‘Brian’ next year on a trip with Michael to Italy. You will be stuck here in the US. It will be the first time you and Michael are apart and it will seem like eternity to you but when you see how happy Emmet is, you will be content. The four of you will be together until the end of your days. Three; you and Michael will become parents of a beautiful baby girl in a few years. She will come to you in a moment of grief and heartbreak that will almost kill you both but she and Gus will be the light of your lives and the strong shoulders you all lean on in your later years.

Lastly, watch out for Lindsay. She is spying on you and Michael; her rage and hatred grows day by day. She resents that you love him so completely and that she never had that from you. I’m hoping that her own greed and cupidity will keep her in line but you need to be aware of her and on your guard.”

“Peter, will Michael and I go to hell because we're queer?”

“Brian, Jesus preached love and forgiveness for everyone. You and Michael are good men. You are trying to do good where ever and however you can. You yourself said the bible was a collection of stories told by old men who wanted to control things. What do you think?”

“I think I love you old man and I think you were behind the shootings in Washington and every time during the campaign when things suddenly turned our way. I think you’re meddling a lot more in our affairs than you let on and I hope you keep on doing it for a long time to come. Do you know how much longer you and your companions will be the custodians of this world?”

“As long as it pleases God to keep us here.”

“Well, when Michael and I go, please keep an eye on Gus and our new baby girl. Watch over our friends and families and protect them as well as you can.”

“I will, Brian. I promise.”

Brian left the lovely old house in Georgetown. He got in his car and drove back to the secret underground entrance to the White House. He thought about the conversation he’d just had. He was speaking to someone who had walked this earth during the time of Christ and was still here. He believed everything Peter had told him. He also believed that he had better get back to his lover as quickly as possible. He was pretty sure he’d worn him out but with Michael, you just never knew. Brian was smiling as he upped his speed just a little. He felt the old familiar urgency sing through his blood stream and he knew that if Michael was asleep when he got back, he was gonna wake him up just one more time.

The End.


End file.
